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cerisier des oiseaux, sweet cherry, wild cherry

Manchu cherry, Nanking cherry

Habit Trees, not suckering, 60–200 dm, not thorny. Shrubs, not suckering, 10–20 dm, not thorny.
Twigs

with terminal end buds, glabrous.

with terminal end buds, densely hairy.

Leaves

deciduous;

petiole (14–)20–40 mm, nearly glabrous or sparsely hairy adaxially, glandular distally or on margins at bases of blades, glands 1–3, discoid;

blade oblong, elliptic-obovate, or obovate, (4–)7–14 × (2.5–)4–8.5 cm, base obtuse to rounded, margins doubly crenate-serrate, teeth blunt, glandular, apex abruptly short-acuminate, abaxial surface moderately hairy (especially midribs and veins), adaxial glabrous.

deciduous;

petiole 2–7 mm, hairy, eglandular;

blade obovate to oblong-elliptic, 3–6(–7.5) × 1.7–3.5(–4.7) cm, base obtuse to rounded, margins coarsely, singly to doubly serrate, teeth sharp, usually eglandular, sometimes glandular, glands dark, spheric, apex abruptly short-acuminate to acute, abaxial surface tomentose, adaxial rugose, hairy, sometimes sparsely so.

Inflorescences

1–3-flowered, umbellate fascicles.

usually solitary flowers, sometimes 2-flowered fascicles.

Pedicels

(14–)25–52 mm, glabrous.

0–5 mm, hairy.

Flowers

blooming at leaf emergence;

hypanthium tubular-urceolate, 5–7 mm, glabrous externally;

sepals reflexed, oblong, 4–6 mm, margins entire or sparsely and irregularly toothed, surfaces glabrous;

petals white, obovate to suborbiculate, 12–15 mm;

ovaries glabrous.

blooming before or at leaf emergence;

hypanthium tubular, 3.5–6 mm, glabrous or sparsely hairy (especially at bases) externally;

sepals spreading, ovate, 2.5–3.5 mm, margins serrate, sometimes glandular, abaxial surface hairy, adaxial glabrous;

petals white to pale pink (pink in bud), obovate or elliptic to suborbiculate, 9–13 mm;

ovaries glabrous proximally, villous distally.

Drupes

dark red to purplish black, globose, 13–30 mm, glabrous;

mesocarps fleshy;

stones subglobose, not flattened.

red, globose, 8–15 mm, sparsely hairy;

mesocarps fleshy;

stones ellipsoid, not flattened.

2n

= 16.

= 16.

Prunus avium

Prunus tomentosa

Phenology Flowering Mar–May; fruiting Jun–Jul. Flowering Apr–May; fruiting Jun–Jul.
Habitat Roadsides, stream banks, forest edges, disturbed forests Roadsides, fencerows, vacant lots, riparian woods
Elevation 0–1600 m (0–5200 ft) 50–500 m (200–1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CT; DC; DE; ID; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; UT; VA; WA; WV; WY; BC; NB; NS; ON; Eurasia [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
IA; IL; MD; MI; MN; NE; NY; OH; PA; SD; UT; MB; ON; SK; Asia [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Cultivars of Prunus avium are grown in North America both for their attractive flowers, especially where the Japanese ornamental cherries are not hardy, and for their sweet fruits. Most of the sweet cherry crop in North America is grown in the Pacific Coast states and in Michigan and Ontario. Most varieties are self-incompatible and require pollen from a variety in a different incompatibility group in order to set fruits.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Prunus tomentosa is cultivated as a landscape plant in hedges and as a background shrub because of its spreading habit and pale pink to white petals. It produces edible fruits that are said to make excellent jelly and juice.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 368. FNA vol. 9, p. 372.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Amygdaleae > Prunus Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Amygdaleae > Prunus
Sibling taxa
P. americana, P. andersonii, P. angustifolia, P. armeniaca, P. caroliniana, P. cerasifera, P. cerasus, P. domestica, P. dulcis, P. emarginata, P. eremophila, P. fasciculata, P. fremontii, P. geniculata, P. glandulosa, P. gracilis, P. havardii, P. hortulana, P. ilicifolia, P. laurocerasus, P. lusitanica, P. mahaleb, P. maritima, P. mexicana, P. minutiflora, P. murrayana, P. myrtifolia, P. nigra, P. padus, P. pensylvanica, P. persica, P. pumila, P. rivularis, P. serotina, P. speciosa, P. spinosa, P. subcordata, P. subhirtella, P. texana, P. tomentosa, P. umbellata, P. virginiana, P. yedoensis
P. americana, P. andersonii, P. angustifolia, P. armeniaca, P. avium, P. caroliniana, P. cerasifera, P. cerasus, P. domestica, P. dulcis, P. emarginata, P. eremophila, P. fasciculata, P. fremontii, P. geniculata, P. glandulosa, P. gracilis, P. havardii, P. hortulana, P. ilicifolia, P. laurocerasus, P. lusitanica, P. mahaleb, P. maritima, P. mexicana, P. minutiflora, P. murrayana, P. myrtifolia, P. nigra, P. padus, P. pensylvanica, P. persica, P. pumila, P. rivularis, P. serotina, P. speciosa, P. spinosa, P. subcordata, P. subhirtella, P. texana, P. umbellata, P. virginiana, P. yedoensis
Synonyms P. cerasus var. avium
Name authority (Linnaeus) Linnaeus: Fl. Suec. ed. 2, 165. (1755) Thunberg: in J. A. Murray, Syst. Veg. ed. 14, 464. (1784)
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