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Pin cherry

Prunus pensylvanica

Also called Bird Cherry, Fire Cherry, Red Cherry, Wild Red Cherry

Pin cherry
Photo: Prunus_pennsylvanica_139-8486.jpg: M.S. del, J.N.Fitch, lith. derivative work: Halava, Public domain

Pin cherry is a fast-growing, short-lived North American cherry that often grows as a shrub or small tree in cleared or burned woods. It is a pioneer species that thrives in full sun and disturbed, well-drained sites.

Family
Rosaceae (Rose family)
Grows as
Tree
Light
Full sun
Water
Water regularly while young, then mostly rely on rain once established.
Soil
Well-drained, sandy or loamy soil; tolerates poor, acidic soils.
Temperature
Hardy to around -40 °C; protect young plants from late frosts.
How easy
Easy
Safety
Toxic: Leaves, twigs, stems, bark and seeds contain cyanogenic compounds that release cyanide when damaged, which can be harmful if eaten in quantity.. Toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA).
Edible
Yes, some parts
Native range
Subarctic America to U.S.A.
Climate
temperate

About

Prunus pensylvanica, also known as bird cherry, fire cherry, pin cherry, and red cherry, is a North American cherry species in the genus Prunus. The fruit is edible and can be used in canning.

Where it grows

The species is widespread across much of Canada from Newfoundland and southern Labrador to British Columbia and the southern Northwest Territories. Additionally it is very common in New England and the Great Lakes region. It can also be found in the Appalachian Mountains as far south as northern Georgia and eastern Tennessee. Scattered growth of the pin cherry also occurs in the Rocky Mountains, south to Colorado as well as in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

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 pensylvanica 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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