Pin Cherry (Prunus pensylvanica)
Wild Red Cherry, Fire Cherry
Genus: Prunus
Family: Rosaceae (Rose Family)
French Name: Cerisier de Pennsylvanie
Common Names: Pin Cherry, Wild Red Cherry, Fire Cherry
Native Range: Most of the forested parts of Canada, from mid BC to the east.
Habitat: Typically found in areas recently cleared by cutting, windthrow, or burning; also along rivers in the Prairies. It is usually found as scattered individual trees in disturbed areas, intolerant of shade, and rarely found in mature forests.

Size & Growth
Typical Height: Small trees, typically up to 12 meters high.
Maximum Recorded Height: Up to 12 meters.
Maximum Diameter: 25 cm in diameter.
Growth Form: Trunk is fairly straight with a narrow, round-topped crown. Branches start as ascending, becoming nearly horizontal and spreading with age. In unfavorable sites, it can grow as a shrub.
Life Span: Typically 40 years old.

Leaf Characteristics
Deciduous, alternate, simple.
Lance-shaped, 8-15 cm long, tapering to a slender, sharp tip. The widest part is below or near the middle.
Shiny yellowish-green, hairless.
Turns bright purplish-red in autumn.
Minute, uneven teeth; margin is folded upward along the midvein.
Thin and fragile; commonly curved backward.
Buds: Small, 1-2 mm long. Rounded, diverging slightly from the twig. Terminal bud and several similar lateral buds clustered at the end of the twig.
Twigs: Very slender, reddish. New branches may develop on vigorous shoots.
Flowers: White. Petals about 5 mm long. Flowers are in tassel-like clusters of 4-7 flowers, with stalks about 20 mm long. Blooms appear when the leaves are about half-grown, in late spring to early summer.
Fruits: Bright red. 6-8 mm across. Thin, sour, edible flesh. Slender-stalked.
Ripening Time: Fruits ripen late July to early September, produced abundantly.
Edibility: Edible, though sour, often consumed by wildlife.
Bark: Smooth, shiny, dark reddish-brown. With age, the bark separates into horizontal papery strips. Lenticels are conspicuous, large, widely spaced, horizontal, and orange in color.
Wildlife Value: Fruit is eaten by birds and mammals.
Reproduction: Known to reproduce vegetatively by root sprouts.
Germination: Seeds may live for decades on the forest floor and germinate when exposed to light and temperature fluctuations after clearing and disturbance.