68 MISC. PUBLICATION 101, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 
cal, rather small fruits are dark purple to black, sweet in flavor, but 
slightly astringent. 
The species ranges from North Dakota to British Celumbia, Cali- 
fornia, New Mexico, and Kansas. It often grows in dense patches 
or thickets, but sometimes alone or scatteringly; it occurs on dry 
hillsides, in bottom lands, along or near streams, in canyons and 
draws, in moist, rich soil, and in dry, rocky, and sterile soils. Fre- 
quent associates are western yellow pine, serviceberry, aspen, maple, 
currants, sagebrush, wild plum, hawthorn, oak brush, ninebark, 
buffaloberry, rose, and elder. It is found in open timber and in 
weed types, but is most characteristically a component of browse 
types. The altitudinal distribution varies from 1,500 or 2,000 feet 
at the easterly limits of its range and in the Northwest up to at 
least 9,000 feet in the Colorado Rockies. In Utah, southern Idaho, 
and Nevada it occurs mostly between about 5,000 and 7,500 feet. 
The flowers appear from May to July and the fruit ripens and falls 
from about August 1 on. 
As a range browse black chokecherry varies from poor to good. 
It is usually of greatest value late but sometimes also very early in 
the grazing season. Although it grows in thickets, these are gener- 
ally open enough to be accessible to grazing animals and the abun- 
dance, size, and relatively good palatability of the species make it 
important on many ranges. In general this chokecherry is browsed 
on sheep and cattle ranges in Montana and Nevada; in Utah and 
Idaho it is occasionally important on sheep ranges; in Colorado, 
Wyoming, and the Northwest it is commonly considered poor forage. 
Analysis of the species indicates a remarkably high protein content 
(143, p. 39). Livestock poisoning has sometimes resulted from 
browsing this species (44), in common with others of the genus. 
Western chokecherry (Prunus demissa) > of which P. melano- 
carpais by many regarded as a variety, occurs from British Columbia 
to western Montana and California. Although ordinarily a shrub 
or small tree, heights of 50 feet have been recorded for this species. 
It is found alike in rich moist loams and in dry rocky localities, often 
growing with serviceberry, hawthorns, ceanothi, lupines, currants, 
and geranium. Its altitudinal distribution is from sea level to 7,000 
feet; in Washington, Oregon, and northern California it is most fre- 
quently encountered between about 1,500 and 5,000 feet. Western 
chokecherry is browsed only lightly te moderately on most ranges by 
sheep and cattle but in times of relative food scarcity, as for example 
in the fall, it is sometimes extensively cropped, especially by sheep. 
Fleming and associates have investigated cases of sheep poisoning 
due to this species (38, 36). They find that on dry range poisoning is | 
often delayed until the sheep are able to drink, when the hydrocyaniec | 
acid is more readily released; that poisoning is usually a result of | 
dry or overgrazed range, and that the leaves lose their poisonous 
properties and become more palatable in the late summer, the species 
being harmless in the fall. 
Southwestern black cherry (P. virens), sometimes known as ever- | 
green chokecherry, a southwestern species ranging from southern 
% Some authors prefer to follow Sargent (116, p. 574) in regarding this as a variety of 
the common, eastern, or Virginia chokecherry, calling it Prunus virginiana demissa, 
Cerasus demissa and Padus demissa are synonyms. 
