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Gray's Bird Cherry

Prunus grayana

Gray's Bird Cherry
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Gondahara assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0

A small deciduous tree native to Japan and China, grown for its fragrant spring flowers and dark fruit. It prefers sun and moist but well-drained soil.

Family
Rosaceae (Rose family)
Grows as
Tree
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Keep soil evenly moist but never waterlogged, especially while establishing.
Soil
Moist, well-drained loam.
Temperature
Hardy in temperate climates; tolerates cold winters, protect young plants from late frosts.
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Toxic: Leaves, bark, seeds and unripe fruit contain cyanogenic compounds that can release cyanide if damaged or eaten in quantity.. Toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA).
Edible
Yes, some parts
Native range
C. & S. China, Japan
Climate
temperate

About

Prunus grayana (syn. Padus grayana (Maxim.) C.K.Schneid., Prunus padus var. japonica Miq.; Japanese bird cherry or Gray's bird cherry; Japanese ウワミズザクラ Uwa-mizu-zakura; Chinese 灰叶稠李 hui ye chou li) is a species of bird cherry native to Japan and China, occurring at medium altitudes of 1,000–3,800 m in the temperate zone. It prefers sunshine and moist (but drained) soil.

It is a small deciduous tree reaching a height of 8–20 m. The trunk is slender with smooth grey to purple-grey bark marked with horizontal brown lenticels, with a strong smell when cut. The leaves are elliptical to ovoid, 4–10 cm long and 1.8–4.5 cm broad, with a serrated margin with aristate tips to the serrations. The lowest teeth of a leaf feature two glands.

Uses

The flowers, fruit and seed are all edible and are prepared and eaten in Japan. The fruit can be preserved with salt to make a dish called Anningo. The bark and roots are the source of a green dye. The wood is very hard and splits easily. It is used in various cabinet-making and various other ornamental applications.

Other Prunus plants

Prunus adenopoda · Red stinkwood · Prunus aitchisonii · Alabama cherry · Prunus alaica · Allegheny plum · American plum · Prunus amplifolia · Almond · Desert peach · Chickasaw plum · Prunus annularis

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Prunus grayana by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.

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