Bitter Cherry Tree Information


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Bitter Cherry grows in the following 11 states and provinces:

Arizona, British Columbia, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming


Information about Bitter Cherry:


More information about Bitter Cherry may be found here.

as well ashe Prunus Emarginata is commonly known as the Bitter Cherry.

The currently accepted scientific name of bitter cherry is Prunus emarginata (Dougl.) Walp. (Rosaceae) . There are two recognized varieties : Prunus emarginata var. emarginata Prunus emarginata var. mollis (Dougl.) Brewer Bitter cherry hybridizes with pin cherry (Prunus pensylvanica) . LIFE FORM : Tree, Shrub FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : No special status OTHER STATUS : NO-ENTRY

Bitter cherry occurs from British Columbia and Vancouver Island south to southern California and east to Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and New Mexico .

Bitter cherry occurs in a variety of habitats including mountain brush, woodland, and riparian . Bitter cherry occurs in seral brushfield communities throughout the Pacific Northwest and western Idaho. Common associates include Rocky mountain maple (Acer glabrum), Scouler willow (Salix scouleriana), chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), redstem ceanothus (Ceanothus sanguineus), deerbrush (C. integerrimus), Saskatoon serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia), thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus), pachistima (Pachistima myrsinites), and oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor) . In California bitter cherry occurs in yellow pine (Pinus spp.) woodlands and giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) communities. Common associates include incense-cedar (Calocedrus decurrens), sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana), Pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia), Pacific dogwood (Cornus nuttallii), California hazel (Corylus cornuta var. californica), greenleaf manzanita (Arctostaphylos patula), Parry manzanita (A. manzanita), pinemat manzanita (A. nevadensis), and bush chinquapin (Chrysolepsis sempervirens) . In northern Idaho and eastern Washington bitter cherry occurs in quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) communities with Sitka alder (Alnus viridis ssp. sinuata), Douglas maple (Acer glabrum var. douglasii), blue elderberry (Sambucus cerulea), russet buffaloberry (Shepherdia canadensis), and red-osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) . In Arizona bitter cherry is a member of interior deciduous riparian forests dominated by sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), Fremont cottonwood (Populus fremontii), narrowleaf cottonwood (P. angustifolia), boxelder (Acer negundo), and Arizona walnut (Juglans major) .

Some of the information provided here is attributed to:Esser, Lora L. 1995. Prunus emarginata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). , available at the USDA Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) website