Virginia Tech Dendrology

birch bark cherry Rosaceae Prunus serrula Franch. symbol:
Leaf: Alternate, simple, ovate to lanceolate, 3 to 5 inches long, 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide, finely serrated margin, green above and slightly paler below.
Flower: Species is monoecious; white, 3/4 inch across, occurring in a clusters of 1 to 3; emerging with the leaves.
Fruit: Red drupe, to 1/2 inch in diameter, ripening in mid summer.
Twig: Slender, glabrous, red to gray-brown; buds are small (1/8 inch), reddish brown, pointed.
Bark: The most interesting feature of this tree; glossy, red-brown to copper-brown, long horizontal lenticels, may peel off in horizontal strips.
Form: A small tree to 30 feet tall, generally oval or cultured to have multiple stems and a broad crown.
Looks like: Kwanzan cherry - Yoshino cherry - Higan cherry - fire cherry

Additional Range Information: Prunus serrula is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and is not known to widely escape cultivaton. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links:
All material 2021 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