Description
Prunus virginiana
CT RG E P EcoR
Soil: Well-drained
Light: Full to Part Sun (prefers full sun)
Moisture: Moist to Dry
Plant Height: 20 to 30 feet
Plant Width: 15 to 20 feet
Pests: susceptible to black knot, leaf spot, powdery mildew, tent catepillars, and spider mites
Landscape Value: Great in shrub borders, open woodland gardens, butterfly gardens, naturalized areas, and as a focal point on the edge of a garden. Useful for erosion control and streambank stabilization.
Small, deciduous tree with an irregular crown and egg-shaped leaves that have a strong bitter scent when crushed. Leaves are dark green above, gray-green beneath and turn golden yellow to orange in the fall. Showy, elongated clusters of fragrant, white flowers bloom in spring and attract bees, butterflies, beetles, and hummingbirds. Flowers yield red, pea-sized fruits that ripen to dark purple/black in August. Fruits are highly attractive to many birds and game animals; seeds are eaten by small mammals, including chipmunks, squirrels and mice. Plants will sucker to form colonies, which should be removed to prevent unwanted spread. Branches can break easily in ice storms. Tolerates drought, dry soil, shallow-rocky soil, alkaline soil, and clay soil. Larval host to Columbia Silkmoth, Small-eyed Sphinx moth, and Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly. Fruits are edible but highly astringent and should be cooked and not eaten off the tree (see warning). Fruits can be used to make jams, jellies, pie fillings and sauces.
Warning: Foliage, stems, and bark contain cyanide compounds and are toxic to humans, horses, and animals with segmented stomachs (cattle, goats, deer, and moose), especially when wilted or damaged. Drought, freezing, browsing, pruning by homeowners, and spraying with herbicides stimulate plants to produce more toxins. Symptoms of poisoning begin rapidly and include difficulty breathing, slow pulse, dilated pupils, salivation, muscle twitching, staggering, loss of consciousness, and death. Toxicity is highest during the spring and summer. Seeds contain small amounts of cyanide, especially when fruits are unripe; seeds are toxic if ingested in large quantities.
2-gallon pot, 2-3 feet tall
Photo credits:
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (photos by Wynn Anderson, Tom Lebsack, and RW Smith)
North Carolina State Extension (photo by Jim Robbins)
