Carried by 3 nurseries
View Availability at NurseryData provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria
View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora
Oregon cherry or Bitter cherry (Prunus emarginata) is a species of Prunus native to western North America, from British Columbia south to California, and east to western Wyoming and Arizona. It is often found in recently disturbed areas, open woods, on nutrient-rich soil. It is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing to 1-15 meter tall with a slender oval trunk with smooth gray to reddish-brown bark with horizontal lenticels. The leaves are 2-8 centimeter long, thin, oval-shaped, and yellowish-green with unevenly-sized teeth on either side. The flowers are small, 10-15 millimeter diameter, with five white petals and numerous hairlike stamens; they are almond-scented, and produced in clusters in spring, and are pollinated by insects. The fruit is a juicy red or purple cherry 7-14 millimeter diameter, which, as the plant's English name suggests, are bitter. As well as reproducing by seed, it also sends out underground stems which then sprout above the surface to create a thicket.
Tree, Shrub
3 - 80 ft Tall
Rounded
Moderate
Winter Deciduous
White, Yellow, Green
Spring
Bank stabilization, Hedge
Full Sun, Partial Shade
Very Low
Moderate
Medium, Slow
Tolerates clay but does best in moist loamy soil.
For propagating by seed: Soak in water at room temperature for 8 days, and stratif y at 45°F for 5 mos. Fresh seeds give better results (Sorrell 1981).
1, 2*, 3, 4*, 5*, 6*, 7*, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23
Rocky slopes
Chaparral, Red Fir Forest, Yellow Pine Forest
-
Likely
-
Confirmed
Bearded Miner Bee
Andrena barbilabris
White-haired Miner Bee
Andrena candidiformis
Western Red-legged Miner Bee
Andrena medionitens
Small Green Miner Bee
Andrena microchlora
Onions
Allium cepa
Canola
Brassica napus
Peppers
Capsicum annuum
Chicory
Cichorium intybus