ROSACEAE 



Pin Cherry. Wild Red Cherry 

 Prunus pensylvanica L. 



HABIT. A shrub or small tree rarely 30-40 feet high and 

 18-20 inches in diameter; short trunk; crown narrow, rounded 

 or flat-topped, with slender, horizontal branches. 



LEAVES. Obovate to oblong-lanceolate; acuminate or acute 

 at apex; sharply and coarsely serrate, with incurved teeth; 

 glabrous; bright green and lustrous above, paler below; 3-4 

 inches long and 1-2 inches broad; turning bright yellow in 

 autumn; petiole slender, glabrous or pilose. 



FLOWERS. In 2-5-flowered, sessile umbels; on slender pedi- 

 cels nearly 1 inch long; appearing when leaves half grown; 

 calyx tube glabrous, marked by conspicuous, orange band in 

 mouth of throat; corolla cream-white; Yi inch in diameter. 



FRUIT. Globose; in 2-5-fruited umbels; V^-Vz inch in diam- 

 eter; on slender pedicels; light red; thick-skinned; flesh thin, 

 quite sour; occasionally made into jelly; stone oblong, thin- 

 walled, pointed, ^^g inch long, ridged. 



TWIGS. Slender; round; puberulous and light red at first, 

 becoming glabrous and bright to dull red; marked by orange- 

 colored, raised lenticels; bark easily separable from green inner 

 bark; lateral branchlets short, spurlike. Winter buds: terminal 

 Vs inch long, acute, ovoid, bright red-brown. 



BARK. Thin {V-i-Yi inch); red-brown, marked by orange- 

 colored bands of lenticels; smooth or scaly. 



WOOD. Light; soft; close-grained; heartwood light brown; 

 sapwood thin, yellow; unimportant. 



SILVICAL CHARACTERS. Intolerant; fast-growing; short- 

 lived; the abundant reproduction often completely taking over 

 burned areas. 



* * * 



Bitter Cherry 



Prunus emarginata (Dougl.) D. Dietr. 



This cherry closely resembles pin cherry in its flowers and 

 fruit; it can be distinguished by its oblong-obovate, obtuse 

 leaves and its more western distribution where it extends from 

 British Columbia to Montana and south to California, Arizona, 

 and New Mexico. 



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