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cerisier des oiseaux, sweet cherry, wild cherry

Yoshino cherry

Habit Trees, not suckering, 60–200 dm, not thorny. Trees, not suckering, 40–80(–160) dm, not thorny.
Twigs

with terminal end buds, glabrous.

with terminal end buds, sparsely 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 10–20 mm, hairy, sometimes glandular distally, glands 1–2;

blade elliptic-ovate to obovate, 5–12 × 2.5–7 cm, base rounded, margins doubly serrate, teeth aristate, glandular, apex acuminate, abaxial surface hairy along midribs and veins, adaxial glabrous.

Inflorescences

1–3-flowered, umbellate fascicles.

2–6-flowered, corymbs;

central axes 4–8(–20) mm.

Pedicels

(14–)25–52 mm, glabrous.

15–25 mm (subtended by leafy bracts), 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 leaf emergence;

hypanthium tubular, 7–8 mm, hairy externally;

sepals spreading, ovate-lanceolate, 4–5 mm, margins glandular-toothed, abaxial surface hairy, adaxial sparsely hairy;

petals white or pink, broadly elliptic to obovate, 13–15 mm;

ovaries glabrous.

Drupes

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

mesocarps fleshy;

stones subglobose, not flattened.

black, subglobose, 7–12 mm, glabrous;

mesocarps fleshy;

stones ellipsoid, not flattened.

2n

= 16.

= 16 (Japan).

Prunus avium

Prunus yedoensis

Phenology Flowering Mar–May; fruiting Jun–Jul. Flowering Mar–Apr; fruiting May.
Habitat Roadsides, stream banks, forest edges, disturbed forests Abandoned plantings, disturbed sites
Elevation 0–1600 m (0–5200 ft) 0–200 m (0–700 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
CA; DC; WA; e Asia (Japan) [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.)

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 368. FNA vol. 9, p. 369.
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. tomentosa, P. umbellata, P. virginiana
Synonyms P. cerasus var. avium
Name authority (Linnaeus) Linnaeus: Fl. Suec. ed. 2, 165. (1755) Matsumura: Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 15: 100. (1901)
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