276 THE BOOK OF FORESTRY 
WESTERN CHOKE CHERRY 
WESTERN CHOKE CHERRY 
Prunus demissa 
[ForM 
In favorable situations taking on tree 
form 20’ high and 6” in diameter, 
otherwise a shrub growing in thickets 
4’—10’ high. 
LEAVES 
Thick and leathery, deep dull green, 
smooth and shiny above, pale be- 
neath. Edges have straight sharp 
teeth; leaves, twigs and bark when 
crushed yield strong scent like 
peach pits. 
FLOWER 
White, borne in dense cylindrical clus- 
ters. 
FRUIT 
Shiny black cherries 4”—1” in diam- 
eter in cylindrical clusters. Ripens 
in early autumn. Sweet but 
has sharp aftertaste. Used for 
preserving and greedily eaten by 
irds. 
RANGE 
British Columbia south through 
mountains of California nearly to 
Mexican border, east to Western 
Nebraska and Kansas. 
