Prunus pumila explained

Prunus pumila, commonly called sand cherry, is a North American species of cherry in the rose family. It is widespread in eastern and central Canada from New Brunswick west to Saskatchewan and the northern United States from Maine to Montana, south as far as Colorado, Kansas, Indiana, and Virginia, with a few isolated populations in Tennessee and Utah.^[1] It grows in sandy locations such as shorelines and dunes.^[2]

Prunus pumila is a deciduous shrub that grows to NaNfeet tall depending on the variety.^[3] It forms dense clonal colonies by sprouts from the root system. The leaves are leathery, 4– long, with a serrated margin. The flowers are 15mm25mm in diameter with five white petals and 25–30 stamens. They are produced in small clusters of two to four. The fruit is a small cherry 13– in diameter, ripening to dark purple in early summer.^{[4] [5] [6]}

Varieties^{[7] [6]}

• Prunus pumila var. besseyi (Bailey) Gleason, western sand cherry (also called Rocky Mountain cherry)Saskatchewan, Manitoba, western Ontario, south to Colorado and Kansas
• Prunus pumila var. depressa (Pursh) Gleason, eastern sand cherryOntario, Québec, New Brunswick south to Pennsylvania
• Prunus pumila var. pumila, Great Lakes sand cherryshores of Great Lakes
• Prunus pumila var. susquehanae (hort. ex Willd.) Jaeger, Susquehana sand cherryfrom Manitoba east to Maine, south to Tennessee
• Prunus × cistena (purple leaf sand cherry) is a hybrid of Prunus cerasifera (cherry plum) and P. pumila.^[8] It was developed by Niels Ebbesen Hansen of South Dakota State University in 1910.^[9] They grow to be about 7feet tall and can live for up to 20 years.^[10]

Notes and References

1. http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Prunus%20pumila.png Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
2. Web site: Prunus pumila.
3. Web site: Susquehana Sand Cherry (Prunus pumila susquehanae).
4. Web site: Montana Field Guides. Prunus pumila Sand Cherry.
5. Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan .
6. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=250100401 Flora of North America, Prunus pumila Linnaeus, 1767. Sandcherry, cerisier des sables
7. http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/prupum/all.html United States Department of Agriculture, National Forest Service
8. http://plantfacts.osu.edu/pdf/0247-912.pdf Plant Facts, Prunus x cistena - Purpleleaf Sand Cherry (Rosaceae)
9. http://www-pub.naz.edu:9000/~treewalk/north_tree_walk/prunuscistena Nazareth College, Purpleleaf Sand Cherry Prunus x cistena
10. Web site: Purpleleaf Sandcherry (Prunus x cistena) at Connon Nurseries. Connon Nurseries Plant Finder. en. 2020-03-19.