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Pin Cherry, Prunus pensylvanica L.f.
Rosaceae

A small tree, usually less than eight metres high, with a fairly straight and short trunk and a narrow, rounded, or flat-topped crown.

Twigs: Slender, smooth, reddish-brown with a peeling, grayish film.

Buds: Alternate, rounded, or somewhat sharp-pointed, 2-3 m long, reddish-brown, clustered at the end of the twig, often in clusters of two or three along the twig.

Bark: Bronze to dark brown, tending to gray in older parts, marked with many horizontal, pinkish lenticels.

Leaves: Alternate, lanceolate, broadest near or below the middle, rounded or wedge-shaped at the base, generally tapering to a slender, sharp tip. Three to nine centimeters long, thin, hairless on both surfaces, shiny, yellowish-green above, somewhat paler beneath, slightly folded along the mid-rib. Margin is fine-toothed with incurved teeth. Leaves commonly curve downwards from the twigs, especially in autumn when they take on a drooping appearance. Leafstalk has a pair of glands near the leaf base.

Flowers: White, in closely packed roundish clusters, 4-6 mm across, 5-7 flowers in a cluster. Each flower is 1-1.5 cm across, with five petals and 20 or more stamens. Blooms from early June to early July.

Fruit: Bright red drupes about 6 mm in diameter, containing a single seed, arranged in small clusters with slender stems arising from one point. Edible but somewhat sour. Ripen from mid- to late August.

Habitat: Clearings, cut-overs, burned areas, along shores and the edges of coniferous woods, often forming thickets. Occurs throughout most of Newfoundland and southern Labrador.

Source: Native Trees and Shrubs of Newfoundland and Labrador
By A. Glen Ryan
Parks and Natural Areas Division
Department of Environment and Conservation
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador 1995
Used with permission.