Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Rosales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Prunus pensylvanica
FAMILY
Rosaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
You may also want to check Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina
Read more about Fire Cherry at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
INCLUDING
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Prunus pensylvanica var. pensylvanica
FAMILY
Rosaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Prunus pensylvanica
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 097-22-008:
Prunus pensylvanica FAMILY Rosaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT) Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Prunus pennsylvanica
COMMON NAME:
Fire Cherry, Pin Cherry
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Trees You Want to Know (Peattie, 1934); illustration by F.A. Michaux dcp34_p39a
)
Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905) mtna_i_603
)
JK Marlow jkm160503_146
May Haywood County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
Flowers borne in umbels (vs. those of Black Cherry borne in racemes), per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm160503_148
May Haywood County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
Inflorescences umbellate fascicles or corymbs. Pedicels glabrous, per Flora of North America.
)
JK Marlow jkm160503_151
May Haywood County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
Pedicels more than 1cm long; rachis arising directly from old wood, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm160503_280
May Jackson County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
)
JK Marlow jkm0407t_35
July Mitchell County NC
The Roan Highlands
Orange lenticels, per Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_p_pensylvanica_5
July Towns-Union Counties GA
Brasstown Bald
Leaves long-tipped, finely and sharply toothed, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_p_pensylvanica1_2
July Towns-Union Counties GA
Brasstown Bald
)
Ron Lance rwl_ppensylvanica
July Jasper County NC
Fruit red, on slim stalks, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Prunus pensylvanica
FAMILY
Rosaceae
INCLUDING
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Prunus pensylvanica var. pensylvanica
FAMILY
Rosaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Prunus pensylvanica
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 097-22-008:
Prunus pensylvanica
FAMILY
Rosaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT)
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Prunus pennsylvanica
1161
Tree
Perennial
Habitat: High elevation forests, boulderfield forests, thickets at high elevations resulting from fire or logging, per Weakley's Flora
Native to North Carolina & Georgia
Common in NC (rare in GA)
Click here to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring
White
Bisexual
Radially symmetrical
5 united sepals
5 petals
Many stamens
Superior ovary
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Red
Drupe
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers (Campbell, Hutson, Sharp, & Hutson, 1962) p050
- Landscaping with Native Trees (Sternberg & Wilson, 1995) p197
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p074
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007) p293
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p312
- Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) p298
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p119
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance) p39
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011) p254
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p255