Virginia Tech Dendrology

Higan cherry Rosaceae Prunus subhirtella Miq. symbol: PRSU4
Leaf: Alternate, simple, sharply serrated, narrow elliptical, 2 to 4 inches long, lustrous dark green above, paler and hairy below, glands on the petiole or on the lower portion of leaf.
Flower: Single, light pink, 1/2 to 3/4 inch across, in small clusters, appearing in early spring before the leaves.
Fruit: Drupe, oval-rounded, 3/8 inch across, ripening to black in early summer.
Twig: Slender, glossy, gray-brown, conspicuous lenticels.
Bark: Gray-brown, becomes slightly furrowed with scaly ridge tops.
Form: A small tree reaching 20 to 40 feet in height with slender weeping branches.
Looks like: Kwanzan cherry - Yoshino cherry - birch bark cherry

Additional Range Information: Prunus subhirtella is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and is not known to widely escape cultivaton. Download the full-size PDF map.
More Information: Fall Color
External Links: USDA Plants Database - Horticulture Information
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information