112 Native Trees of Canada 



The bark is smooth, dull greyish-brown, and peels easily on branches, showing 

 a bright green, inner bark which has a disagreeable odour. It much resembles the 

 young bird cherry but can be distinguished from it by absence of rusty-coloured 

 powder about the slits or lenticels. 



The twigs are smooth, reddish-brown, and have a strong odour when crushed 

 and, like all cherry twigs, are bitter when chewed. 



The winter buds are brownish, smooth, sharp-pointed, and somewhat turned 

 away from the twig. The scales have a pale margin. 



The leaves are 2 to 4 in. long and 1 to 2 in. wide, rather broad and blunt in 

 appearance, with a more or less sharp tip. 



The fruit is a dark red or black cherry the size of a pea and grows in elongated 

 clusters. It has a very characteristic astringent taste from which the tree gets its 

 name. 



PRUNUS DEMISSA, Walp. WESTERN CHOKE CHERRY 



Common names: Western choke cherry, wild cherry*. 

 French name: Cerisier sauvage de I'Ouest. 



The western choke cherry is found in Canada on the British Columbia coast 

 and Vancouver island, on moist soil along the borders of streams. It sometimes 

 attains a height of 25 ft., but is more often a shrub 8 to 10 ft. high. It is of no 

 commercial importance. 



On young trunks the bark is brown, on older trunks it is greyish and roughened 

 by hard scales. 



The twigs are smooth and the buds brown and pointed. 



The leaves are somewhat thick and leathery, the margins toothed with fine, 

 sharp teeth. 



The cherries are shiny, black, and borne in dense elongated clusters. They are 

 astringent to the taste, hence the common name. 



PRUNUS SEROTINA, Ehrh. BLACK CHERRY 



Common names: Black cherry, wild black cherry*, rum cherry. 

 French names: Cerisier tardif, cerisier noir, cerisier d'automne, 

 merisier (France). 



The black cherry averages 60 to 70 ft. in height and IJ^ to 2 ft. in diameter. 

 Growing in a dense stand it produces a straight, columnar trunk. The crown is 

 narrow and irregular, owing to the zigzag growth of the branches. 



In Canada this tree is found from Nova Scotia to lake Superior, growing on a 

 wide variety of soils and associated with other hardwoods. 



