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cerisier acide, cultivated sour cherry, pie cherry, sour cherry

dwarf flowering almond, flowering almond

Habit Shrubs or trees, suckering, 30–50(–80) dm, not thorny. Shrubs, suckering, 5–20 dm, not thorny.
Twigs

with terminal end buds, glabrous.

with terminal end buds, glabrous.

Leaves

deciduous;

petiole 10–24 mm, glabrous, usually eglandular, sometimes with discoid marginal glands at bases of blades;

blade broadly elliptic to ovate or obovate, 4.4–6(–8) × 2.8–4(–6) cm, base obtuse to rounded, margins doubly crenate-serrate, teeth blunt, glandular, apex acute to abruptly acuminate, abaxial surface glabrous or glabrate, adaxial glabrous.

deciduous;

petiole 1–6 mm, hairy on adaxial surface, eglandular;

blade narrowly elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, 2.5–9 × 0.9–2.5 cm, base cuneate to obtuse, margins crenulate-serrulate, teeth blunt, glandular, apex acute to acuminate, abaxial surface glabrous or slightly hairy along midribs and veins, adaxial glabrous.

Inflorescences

1–4-flowered, umbellate fascicles.

solitary flowers or 2-flowered fascicles.

Pedicels

8–37 mm, glabrous.

6–15 mm, glabrous or sparsely puberulent.

Flowers

blooming at leaf emergence;

hypanthium tubular-campanulate, 4–6 mm, glabrous externally;

sepals reflexed, oblong, 4–7 mm, margins regularly glandular-toothed, surfaces glabrous;

petals white, suborbiculate, 10–14 mm;

ovaries glabrous.

blooming at leaf emergence;

hypanthium campanulate, 2–3 mm, glabrous or sparsely puberulent externally;

sepals spreading to reflexed, ovate, 2.5–5 mm, margins glandular-toothed, ± ciliate, surfaces glabrous or sparsely puberulent;

petals 25+, white or pink, elliptic to narrowly elliptic, 8–11 mm;

ovaries glabrous.

Drupes

bright red, globose, 13–20 mm, glabrous;

mesocarps fleshy;

stones subglobose, not flattened.

reddish, subglobose, 10–15 mm, glabrous;

mesocarps fleshy;

stones subglobose, not flattened.

2n

= 32.

Prunus cerasus

Prunus glandulosa

Phenology Flowering Apr–May; fruiting Jun–Jul. Flowering Mar–May.
Habitat Roadsides, thickets, woodland borders, abandoned fields Roadsides, fencerows, abandoned plantings
Elevation 0–1000 m (0–3300 ft) 0–400 m (0–1300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CA; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; MT; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; VA; VT; WA; WV; BC; NB; NS; ON; PE; QC; Eurasia [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
IA; MI; NC; ON; e Asia (China, Japan) [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Cultivars of Prunus cerasus with doubled flowers are used as landscape ornamentals. Most of the commercial sour cherry crop in North America comes from Michigan. Unlike sweet cherry, all widely grown varieties of sour cherry are self-fertile. Bud scales at the bases of the pedicels on flowering and immature fruiting specimens of P. cerasus often have leaflike apices and the inner scales are erect; in P. avium the scales are not leaflike and the inner ones are reflexed or spreading.

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

Double-flowered cultivars of Prunus glandulosa, which lack stamens and carpels, are commonly planted as foundation shrubs and in borders. Although the plants are attractive in bloom, some horticulturalists consider them of little ornamental value otherwise.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 368. FNA vol. 9, p. 377.
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. avium, P. caroliniana, P. cerasifera, 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. 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
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 474. (1753) Thunberg: in J. A. Murray, Syst. Veg. ed. 14, 463. (1784)
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