Plantae > Tracheophyta > Magnoliopsida > Rosales > Rosaceae > Prunus > Prunus pensylvanica

Prunus pensylvanica (Fire Cherry)

Synonyms:

Wikipedia Abstract

Prunus pensylvanica, also known as bird cherry, fire cherry, pin cherry, and red cherry, is a North American cherry species in the genus Prunus.
View Wikipedia Record: Prunus pensylvanica

Infraspecies

Prunus pensylvanica f. mollis
Prunus pensylvanica f. pensylvanica
Prunus pensylvanica var. saximontana (Attributes)

Attributes

Bloom Period [1]  Mid Spring
Drought Tolerance [1]  Low
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]  90 days
Fruit/Seed Abundance [1]  High
Fruit/Seed Begin [1]  Summer
Fruit/Seed End [1]  Summer
Growth Form [1]  Single Stem
Growth Period [1]  Spring, Summer
Growth Rate [1]  Rapid
Hazards [2]  The seed and leaves contain hydrogen cyanide, a poison that gives almonds their characteristic flavour. This toxin is readily detected by its bitter taste. Usually present in too small a quantity to do any harm, 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, Cutting, Seed
Root Depth [1]  20 inches (51 cm)
Seed Spread Rate [1]  Rapid
Seed Vigor [1]  Low
Seeds Per [1]  14200 / lb (31306 / kg)
Shape/Orientation [1]  Erect
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 outer bark is used to ornament baskets. It is watertight and resists decay; The tree has a vigorous root system and is sometimes planted to stabilise soils and contain erosion; It is a good pioneer species for burnt over land. It establishes quickly, providing shelter for other woodland trees and then dying out; Wood - light, soft, close grained; It weighs 31lb per cubic foot; Only used as a 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]  39 feet (12 m)
Width [2]  26 feet (8 m)
Hardiness Zone Minimum [1]  USDA Zone: 3 Low Temperature: -40 F° (-40 C°) → -30 F° (-34.4 C°)
Light Preference [1]  Full Sun
Soil Acidity [1]  Moderate Acid
Soil Fertility [1]  Infertile
Water Use [1]  Moderate
Screening - Summer [1]  Dense
Screening - Winter [1]  Porous
View Plants For A Future Record : Prunus pensylvanica

Protected Areas

Predators

Providers

Pollinated by 
Sphecodes sophiae[8]

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
♦ 6Jorrit H. Poelen, James D. Simons and Chris J. Mungall. (2014). Global Biotic Interactions: An open infrastructure to share and analyze species-interaction datasets. Ecological Informatics.
♦ 7Biological Records Centre Database of Insects and their Food Plants
♦ 8Clements, R. E., and F. L. Long. 1923, Experimental pollination. An outline of the ecology of flowers and insects. Washington, D.C., USA, Carnegie Institute of Washington.
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