Rosaceae
Bitter cherry
Prunus emarginata
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Genus
- Prunus
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Common names
By language (1)
- English
- Bitter cherry
Synonyms
- Cerasus arida Greene
- Cerasus californica Greene
- Cerasus crenulata Greene
- Cerasus erecta C.Presl
- Cerasus glandulosa Kellogg
- Cerasus kelloggiana Greene
- Cerasus mollis Douglas ex Hook.
- Cerasus obliqua Greene
- Cerasus padifolia Greene
- Cerasus pattoniana Carrière
- Cerasus prunifolia Greene
- Cerasus rhamnoides Greene
- Cerasus trichopetala Greene
- Padus emarginata (Douglas ex Hook.) S.Ya.Sokolov
- Padus prunifolia (Greene) S.Ya.Sokolov
- Prunus crenulata (Greene) Tidestr.
- Prunus emarginata subsp. erecta (C.Presl) Piper
- Prunus emarginata subsp. mollis (Douglas ex Hook.) A.E.Murray
- Prunus emarginata var. crenulata (Greene) Kearney & Peebles
- Prunus emarginata var. emarginata
- Prunus emarginata var. mollis (Douglas ex Hook.) W.H.Brewer
- Prunus emarginata var. villosa Sudw.
- Prunus erecta (C.Presl) Walp.
- Prunus mollis (Douglas ex Hook.) Walp.
- Prunus padifolia (Greene) A.Nelson
- Prunus pensylvanica var. mollis (Douglas ex Hook.) B.Boivin
- Prunus prunifolia (Greene) Shafer
- Prunus trichopetala (Greene) Blank.
Flowers
- Flower colour
- white (USDA PLANTS Database)
Characteristics
- Growth habit
- Shrub, Tree
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- In the US and Canada
- Canada: native, Lower 48 states: native
Photos

FlowerPhoto: John Brew, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist 
LeavesPhoto: klicklo, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Tom Erler, CC0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons Photo: Walter Siegmund, CC BY 2.5, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Trevor Schalla, CC0, from iNaturalist Photo: Walter Siegmund, CC BY 2.5, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Shaan Aroeste, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist Photo: Walter Siegmund, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Skyler K, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist Photo: Walter Siegmund, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
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Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0); popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.