Bitter cherry

Leaves

Form

• Oval or widest above the middle
• Gradually tapering to the base
• Tip rounded or wedge-shaped
• Thin and fragile
• Lower surface hairless or downy
• Ascending or spreading stiffly from the twig

Length

• 3–8 cm

Colour

• Upper and lower surfaces dull yellowish-green

Margin

• Minute, uneven teeth
• Margin folded upward along the midvein

Buds

Form

• Larger than pin cherry, pointed
• Diverging slightly from the twig
• Terminal bud and several similar lateral buds clustered at the end of the twig

Length

• 3–4 mm

Twigs

Form

• Very slender
• Downy becoming smooth
• Neoformed branches may develop on vigorous shoots

Colour

• Darker red than pin cherry

Flowers

Form

• In clusters of 5–12

Structure

• Synoecious

Floral timing

• When the leaves are about half-grown

Fruits

Form

• Thin, bitter, astringent flesh
• Slender-stalked
• Produced abundantly

Width

• 6–15 mm

Colour

• Bright red becoming very dark red

Timing

• Ripen in July or August

Seeds

• May live for decades on the forest floor

Seedlings

Form

• Cotyledons small, leafy
• Raised above the surface

Bark

Form

• Smooth, shiny
• Lenticels conspicuous, large, widely spaced, horizontal, powdery
• With age separating into horizontal papery strips
• Bitter taste accentuated

Colour

• Dark reddish-brown
• Lenticels orange

Size

Height

• To 20 m

Diameter

• 70 cm

Maximum age

• 40 years

Tree form

Open-grown

Trunk

• Fairly straight, slender
• Distinct to the top of crown
• Branch-free portion short compared with crown

Crown

• Narrow, branches ascending

Habitat

Site

• Moist, sparsely wooded areas along streams and on areas recently cleared
• Along rivers in the Prairies

Light tolerance

• Intolerant of shade

Range

Coastal and eastern British Columbia, southward into the United States