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black plum, Canada plum, Canadian plum, prunier noir

Higan cherry, winter-flowering cherry

Habit Shrubs or trees, sometimes suckering, 30–90 dm, moderately thorny. Trees, not suckering, 30–100 dm, not thorny.
Twigs

with axillary end buds, usually glabrous, rarely hairy.

with terminal end buds, hairy.

Leaves

deciduous;

petiole 8–22 mm, glabrate with hairs adaxially, sometimes glandular distally, glands 1–3, discoid;

blade broadly elliptic to obovate, (5–)7–11 × 3–6.5 cm, base obtuse to rounded or subcordate, margins doubly crenate-serrate, teeth blunt, glandular, apex abruptly acuminate, abaxial surface hairy along midribs and major veins, adaxial glabrous.

deciduous;

petiole 5–10 mm, hairy, glandular distally or on margins at bases of blades;

blade elliptic, oblong-ovate, or ovate, 3–8 × 1.5–4 cm, base obtuse, margins doubly serrate, teeth sharp, glandular, apex acuminate, abaxial surface hairy along midribs and veins, adaxial glabrous or with appressed hairs along midrib.

Inflorescences

2–4-flowered, umbellate fascicles.

2–5-flowered, umbellate fascicles.

Pedicels

7–20 mm, usually glabrous, rarely hairy.

8–22 mm, hairy.

Flowers

blooming before or at leaf emergence;

hypanthium red-tinged, obconic, 3–4(–5) mm, usually glabrous, rarely hairy externally;

sepals broadly spreading to reflexed, ovate, 2–4(–5) mm, margins glandular-toothed, abaxial surface usually glabrous, rarely sparsely hairy, adaxial glabrous or hairy;

petals white, often fading to pink, suborbiculate to oblong-obovate, 8–13 mm;

ovaries glabrous.

blooming before leaf emergence;

hypanthium tubular to tubular-urceolate, 4–7 mm, hairy externally;

sepals erect to spreading, oblong-ovate, 2–5 mm, margins toothed, sometimes glandular, abaxial surface sparsely hairy, adaxial glabrous;

petals pale pink, oblong to obovate, 8–12 mm;

ovaries glabrous.

Drupes

red, orange, or yellowish, barely glaucous, globose to ellipsoid, 15–30 mm, glabrous;

mesocarps fleshy;

stones ovoid-ellipsoid, strongly flattened.

black, subglobose, 8 mm, glabrous;

mesocarps fleshy;

stones ellipsoid, not flattened.

2n

= 16.

= 24 (Japan).

Prunus nigra

Prunus subhirtella

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun; fruiting Aug–Sep. Flowering Mar–Apr; fruiting Jun.
Habitat Borders of deciduous woods, bottomland forests, roadside thickets Disturbed sites, abandoned plantings
Elevation 10–800 m (0–2600 ft) 0–200 m (0–700 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CT; IA; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; ND; NH; NY; OH; VT; WI; MB; NB; NS; ON; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
DC; OH; VA; e Asia (Japan) [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

In the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, Prunus nigra co-occurs with, and is sometimes confused with, P. americana, despite being distinct in both flower and leaf. The red-tinged hypanthia and sepals of P. nigra give the entire inflorescence a pinkish coloration even when the petals are pure white, and the sepals bear obvious glandular teeth along their margins; in P. americana the hypanthia and sepals are green and the sepals bear relatively few glandular teeth or are eglandular. The leaf marginal teeth of P. nigra are rounded and bear glands at their tips or have callus scars where the glands fell off; those of P. americana are acute and eglandular; some may have a callused tip.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 379. 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. 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. 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. texana, P. tomentosa, P. umbellata, P. virginiana, P. yedoensis
Name authority Aiton: Hort. Kew. 2: 165. (1789) Miquel: Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugduno-Batavi 2: 91. (1865)
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