Pin cherry, Wild red cherry, Fire cherry
Prunus pensylvanica
Family: Rosaceae
What it is like
A small tree. It grows to 12 m high. The trunk is 25 cm across. The bark is smooth, shiny and dark reddish-brown. The leaves are sword shaped and 8-15 cm long. They taper gradually to a slender sharp tip. The leaves are thin and fragile. There are very small uneven teeth around the edge. The flowers are white and attractive. They occur in clusters of 4-7. The fruit occur in clusters and are dark red. They are on long stalks. The fruit are 6-8 mm across. The flesh is edible. It is sour.
There are about 200 Prunus species.
Where it is found
It cannot tolerate shade. It can tolerate drought. Temperate. It suits hardiness zones 2-9.
Countries/locations it is found in
Australia, Canada, North America, USA
How it is used for food
The fruit are used for jellies and desserts. They are also used for pies and jam. The fruit are dried and stored for later use. The dried fruit are ground into powder and used to make soup.
Edible parts
Fruit, seeds
How it is grown
The seedlings often come up after forest fires. Plants can be grown from seeds or cuttings.
Plants grow rapidly. Trees live for 40 years.