Plantae > Tracheophyta > Magnoliopsida > Rosales > Rosaceae > Prunus > Prunus emarginata

Prunus emarginata (Bitter cherry)

Synonyms:

Wikipedia Abstract

Prunus emarginata, the bitter cherry or Oregon cherry, is a species of Prunus native to western North America, from British Columbia south to Baja California, and east as far as western Wyoming and New Mexico. It is often found in recently disturbed areas or open woods on nutrient-rich soil.
View Wikipedia Record: Prunus emarginata

Attributes

Bloom Period [1]  Mid Spring
Drought Tolerance [1]  Medium
Edible [2]  May be edible. See the Plants For A Future link below for details.
Fire Tolerance [1]  High
Flower Type [2]  Hermaphrodite
Frost Free Days [1]  4 months 10 days
Fruit/Seed Abundance [1]  High
Fruit/Seed Begin [1]  Summer
Fruit/Seed End [1]  Fall
Growth Form [1]  Thicket Forming
Growth Period [1]  Spring
Growth Rate [1]  Moderate
Hazards [2]  Although no specific mention has been seen for this species, it belongs to a genus where most, if not all members of the genus produce hydrogen cyanide, a poison that gives almonds their characteristic flavour. This toxin is found mainly in the leaves and seed and is readily detected by its bitter taste. It is usually present in too small a quantity to do any harm but any very bitter seed or fruit should not be eaten. In small quantities, hydrogen cyanide has been shown to stimulate respiration and improve digestion, it is also claimed to be of benefit in the treatment of cancer. In excess, however, it can cause respiratory failure and even death.
Leaf Type [2]  Deciduous
Lifespan [1]  Perennial
Pollinators [2]  Insects, Lepidoptera
Propagation [1]  Bare Root, Container, Seed
Root Depth [1]  20 inches (51 cm)
Scent [2]  The flowers diffuse a soft honey scent;
Seed Spread Rate [1]  Slow
Seed Vigor [1]  Medium
Seeds Per [1]  7020 / lb (15476 / kg)
Shape/Orientation [1]  Rounded
Specific Gravity [3]  0.5
Structure [2]  Tree
Usage [2]  A green dye can be obtained from the leaves; A dark grey to green dye can be obtained from the fruit; The bark is used to ornament baskets and is also split into strips and used for making baskets that are watertight and resist decay; The bark is both strong and flexible as well as being ornamental; The thin outer bark can be peeled off the tree in the same way as birch trees; It has been used to make baskets, mats, ropes and as an ornament on bows, arrows etc; The bark can also be made into a string; Wood - close-grained, soft, brittle; It is sometimes used for furniture because it takes a high polish; An excellent fuel;
Vegetative Spread Rate [1]  None
Flower Color [1]  White
Foliage Color [1]  Green
Fruit Color [1]  Red
Flower Conspicuous [1]  Yes
Fruit Conspicuous [1]  Yes
Height [2]  16.4 feet (5 m)
Hardiness Zone Minimum [1]  USDA Zone: 4 Low Temperature: -30 F° (-34.4 C°) → -20 F° (-28.9 C°)
Light Preference [1]  Full Sun
Soil Acidity [1]  Neutral
Soil Fertility [1]  Intermediate
Water Use [1]  Moderate
Screening - Summer [1]  Moderate
Screening - Winter [1]  Moderate
View Plants For A Future Record : Prunus emarginata

Protected Areas

Name IUCN Category Area acres Location Species Website Climate Land Use
Coram Biosphere Reserve 7460 Montana, United States
Crater Lake National Park II 180091 Oregon, United States
Grand Canyon National Park II 1210128 Arizona, United States
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area V 103172 Washington, United States
Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Reserve 293047 British Columbia, Canada  

Predators

+ Click for the list (19)

Range Map

External References

USDA Plant Profile

NatureServe Explorer

Citations

Attributes / relations provided by
♦ 1USDA Plants Database, U. S. Department of Agriculture
♦ 2Plants For A Future licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
♦ 3Forest Inventory and Analysis DB version 5.1, May 4, 2013, U.S. Forest Service
♦ 4HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants Gaden S. Robinson, Phillip R. Ackery, Ian J. Kitching, George W. Beccaloni AND Luis M. Hernández
♦ 5Ben-Dov, Y., Miller, D.R. & Gibson, G.A.P. ScaleNet 4 November 2009
♦ 6Neotoma cinerea, Felisa A. Smith, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 564, pp. 1-8 (1997)
♦ 7Tamias alpinus, Robin G. Clawson, Joseph A. Clawson, and Troy L. Best, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 461, pp. 1-6 (1994)
Abstract provided by DBpedia licensed under a Creative Commons License
Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0