Choke Cherry
Prunus virginianum
Common chokecherry found blooming at Peppersauce Canyon, Sta. Catalina Mts., Arizona. 18 April 2009.
TREE: Usually a small tree or shrubby thicket found in partly shady, well-watered canyons
where deep soils have accumulated. Under ideal conditions mature trees reach a
height of 6 meters. Bark has patches of
smooth brown between between fissures and blisters.
LEAVES: Broadly elyptic, shiny leaves are distinctly serrated along the
margins.
RANGE: A frequent associate of Arizona Sycamore in the riparian
woodlands of Arizona. Widely distributed across much of North America.
FRUIT: Reddish or quite dark, small cherry with single seed.
FLOWERS: Spikes of white, five-petaled flowers each with many stamens.
Blooming mid spring.
UNARMED
Juglandaceae -- Walnut Family
More Information:
- Southwest Environmental Information Network
- Virginia Tech Dept. Forestry
- USDA Plant Profile
- ITIS Taxonomic Report
- Google Images
- Google Scholar Literature Search