Prunus serrula
Common name:
Birchbark Cherry
Paperbark Cherry
Tibetan Cherry
Pronunciation:
PRO-nus SER-u-la
Family:
Rosaceae
Genus:
Type:
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon:
No
- Deciduous tree, 20-30 ft (6-9 m), rounded. Bark can be a glossy red-brown, mahogany-like, which ultimately peels; handsome in winter when well exposed. Leaves simple, lanceolate, 5-10 cm long, regularly serrate (serrula: with small serrations). Flowers white, 1.5-2 cm wide, grouped in 1-3, nodding, stalks 1.2 cm long, produced in mid-spring with, and hidden, by foliage. Fruit oval, bright red, about 0.6 cm long.
- Sun. Susceptible to cankers, borers, etc.
- Hardy to USDA Zone 5 Native to central China.
- Also being used as an interstem (interstock) for some Japanese flowering cherries, especially some Prunus serrulata cultivars such as ‘Kanzan’ and ‘Mt. Fuji’, to provide winter interest with its mahogany-like bark.