UW Burke Herbarium species comparison

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Prunus caroliniana

Prunus spinosa

blackthorn
Habit Deciduous, rigid, thorny shrub, 1-4 m. tall, often forming dense thickets; twigs blackish, often downy when young.
Leaves

Leaves alternate, elliptic-ovate to obovate, finely serrate, 2-4 cm. long, not shiny.
Flowers

Flowers solitary from each of the numerous nodes of the spur, appearing before the leaves;

pedicels glabrous, 10-15 mm. long;

calyx glabrous;

petals 5, white, oblong-obovate, 5-7 mm. long.
Fruits

Drupe globose, deep bluish-purple, glaucous, 10-15 mm. broad; pit sub-globose, rough-pitted.

Prunus caroliniana

Prunus spinosa
Flowering time April-May
Habitat Moist draws, thickets, hillsides, roadsides, and railroads.
Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Occurring in scattered locations on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; southwestern British Columbia to southern Oregon, east to Idaho.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Origin Introduced from Eurasia and northern Africa
Conservation status Not of concern
Sibling taxa
P. americana, P. armeniaca, P. avium, P. cerasifera, P. cerasus, P. domestica, P. dulcis, P. emarginata, P. laurocerasus, P. lusitanica, P. mahaleb, P. padus, P. persica, P. ×pugetensis, P. spinosa, P. tomentosa, P. virginiana, P. yedoensis
P. americana, P. armeniaca, P. avium, P. cerasifera, P. cerasus, P. domestica, P. dulcis, P. emarginata, P. laurocerasus, P. lusitanica, P. mahaleb, P. padus, P. persica, P. ×pugetensis, P. tomentosa, P. virginiana, P. yedoensis
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the University of Washington's Burke Herbarium.



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Choose a data source: Flora of North America, OregonFlora, UW Burke Herbarium

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