Prunus padus
Common name:
European Birdcherry
Common Birdcherry
Pronunciation:
PROO-nus PA-dus
Family:
Rosaceae
Genus:
Type:
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon:
No
- Deciduous tree, to 30-40(50) ft (9-12 (15) m) tall, ascending branches, rounded shape. Bark rough, gray to dark brown. Leaves alternate, simple, obovate to elliptic, 6-13 cm long, 3.5-6 cm wide, base wedge-shaped, margin with fine sharp teeth, tip abruptly pointed, dull green above, grayish and hairless below, petiole 1-1.5 cm long, usually with two glands; fall color yellow to bronze. Flowers white, 1-1.5 cm wide, fragrant, petals 6-8 mm long, twice as long as stamens, calyx-tube pubescent inside, in loose upright to drooping clusters (racemes) 10-15 cm long. Fruit globose, 6-8 mm, glossy black; stone oval, rugose (wrinkled); fruit relished by birds but too bitter for humans.
- Sun to shade. Prone to aphids and a disfiguring black knot disease.
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Hardy to USDA Zone 3 Native to Europe, northern Asia, to Korea and Japan. Long cultivated and several cultivars are available, such as:
- var. commutata: Harbinger Bird Cherry, Mayday Tree, introduced into cultivation in 1890, many trees sold as Prunus padus, are actually this selection (Jacobson, 1969 p. 509), leaves coarsely toothed, near green instead gray green, new leaves appear in very in early spring and very cold hardy, Zone 2 and 3.
- 'Drietree': (Merlot®), deep burgundy summer leaves.
- 'Summer Glow': foliage reddish-purple all summer
- padus: Greek, pados, a tree
Click image to enlarge
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plant habit, spring flowering
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plant habit, flowering
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developing and opening flower cluster
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flowering branches
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flower clusters
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flowers
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after petal drop, young fruit
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leaves
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leaf
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fruit, unripe
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leaves and buds, summer
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leaves and ripe fruit
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ripe fruit
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leaves, fall
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plant habit, winter
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winter twig, buds
