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Prunus emarginata var. mollis

Bitter Cherry

At a Glance: Shrub or small tree with white flowers and small red cherries.

Height: Up to 50 feet (15 meters).
Growth Form: Tree.
Stems: The bark is tough, stringy and waterproof. Color is reddish-brown or grey with horizontal rows of raised pores that look like white dots.
Leaves: Alternate, deciduous, oblong to oval, 3-8 cm (1-3 in) long and 1-3 cm (0.5-1.5 in), finely toothed, rounded at the tip, stalked, with 1 or 2 small glands at the base of the leaf blade. Blade hairy underneath.
Flowers: White or slightly pinkish, 1-1.5 cm across, saucer-shaped; 5-10 in a rounded or flat-topped cluster. Flowers appear when leaves are about half grown.
Flowering Period: April, May, June.
Fruits: Bright red cherries to 1 cm in diameter, bitter. Each fruit is on a short stem about 1.3 cm (0.5 inches) long.


Photo © Heidi Bohan

Sun/Shade Tolerance	Hydrology	Elevation Range
Shade intolerant. full sun > 80% mostly sunny 60%-80% partial sun and shade 40%- 60% mostly shady 60%-80% full shade > 80%	wet moist dry Wetland Indicator Status: FACU (facultative upland)	low elevation mid elevation sub-alpine high elevation

Soil Preferences
sandy soils gravelly soils clay soils muddy soils peaty soils	well drained soils shallow soils deep soils acidic soils basic soils	humic soils nutrient rich soils nutrient poor soils mineral soils organic soils

Habitat Preferences
Aquatic and Wetland: Ponds or lakes Shallow pools Sloughs Swales or wet ditches Seasonally inundated areas Marshes or swamps Aquatic bed wetlands Emergent wetlands Scrub-shrub wetlands Forested wetlands Bogs, fens Seeps, springs Shorelines and Riparian: Lake shores Bog margins Streams or rivers Stream or river banks Riparian corridors River bars Floodplains Bottomlands Alluvial areas	Saltwater Areas: In or near saltwater Mud flats Tidal areas Estuaries Saltmarshes Brackish water Seashores Coastal dunes or beaches Rocky or Gravelly Areas: Coastal bluffs Cliffs Rocky slopes Outcrops Crevices Glacial outwash Gullies Slide areas Sub-alpine and Alpine: Heaths Snow beds Tundra Avalanche tracks	Forests and Thickets: Forests and woods Open forests Coniferous forests Old growth forests Deciduous forests Mixed forests Nurse logs Forest edges, openings, or clearings Thickets Meadows and Fields: Pastures or fields Meadows or grassy areas Mossy areas Disturbed Areas: Roadsides Trailsides Logged sites Burned areas Disturbed sites

Wildlife Value
Berries Seeds Nectar for hummingbirds Nectar for butterflies Host for insect larvae Thickets and shelter Thorny or protective cover	Birds: Many birds eat the cherries. Insects: Flowers attract Sara orangetip, silvery blue, swallowtail, Lorquins admiral, and spring azure butterflies. Mammals: Fruit eaten by squirrels, foxes, black bears, coyotes, chipmunks and raccoons. Deer and elk browse the leaves and twigs.

Ethnobotanical Uses and Other Facts

Material Uses: Because of its deep red color, the bark was used extensively in basket weaving as decoration. The bark was also used to protect implements because it is waterproof. It was used for covering the joints of harpoons, dipnets, gaffs and fish spears. The wood was used for tool handles and firewood.
Medicinal Uses: The Lummi chew the bark to facilitate childbirth.
Name Info: The cherries are extremely bitter.

Suggested References

Brockman, F.C. 1968. A Guide to Field Identification: Trees of North America. Western Publishing Company. Page .
Cooke, S.S. A Field Guide to the Common Wetland Plants of Western Washington and Northwetern Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society and Washington Native Plant Society. Page 9.
Gunther, E. 1973. 2nd ed. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press. Page 37.
Hickman, J.C., ed. 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press. Page 969.
Hitchcock, C.L., A. Cronquist. 1973. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 221.
Jacobson A.L. 2001. Wild Plants of Greater Seattle. Published by author. Page 82.
Link, R. 1999. Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 249.
Lyons, C., W. Merilees. Trees and Shrubs to Know in Washington and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 91.
Pojar, J., A. Mackinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 48.
Turner, N.AJ. 1975. Food Plants of British Columbia Indians: part 1, Coastal Peoples. British Columbia Provincial Museum. Page 184.

The landscaping and restoration information provided on this page is taken from Starflower Foundation Image Herbarium. All photographs © Starflower Foundation unless otherwise noted.