Prunus virginiana L.

Shrubs or trees, often suckering, 10–60(–100) dm, not thorny. Twigs with terminal end buds, glabrous or hairy. Leaves deciduous; petiole 4–22(–27) mm, usually glabrous, sometimes hairy, glandular distally, glands 2, ?discoid?; blade obovate or elliptic to ovate or oblanceolate, 2.5–9(–11) × 1.2–5(–6.6), base cuneate to rounded or subcordate, margins serrulate to serrate, teeth ?ascending to spreading?, usually sharp, eglandular, sometimes callus-tipped, obscurely glandular, ?lateral veins 6–13 per side, raised abaxially?, apex acuminate, acute, or obtuse, abaxial surface glabrous or hairy (especially along midribs), adaxial glabrous. Inflorescences 18–64-flowered, racemes; central axes (18–)40–110(–130) mm, ?leafy at bases?. Pedicels 2–8(–16) mm, usually glabrous, rarely hairy. Flowers blooming after leaf emergence; hypanthium cupulate, 1.5–3 mm, glabrous externally; sepals erect-spreading to reflexed, semicircular, 0.7–1.4 mm, margins erose, usually glandular-toothed, sometimes nearly eglandular, surfaces glabrous; petals white, obovate to suborbiculate, 2–5(–7) mm; ovaries glabrous. Drupes red, purple, dark purple, or black, globose, 6–14 mm, glabrous; ?hypanthium deciduous, leaving discs at bases of drupes?; mesocarps fleshy; stones subglobose to ellipsoid, not flattened, ?± smooth?.

Rich, rather moist soils, in thickets, borders of woods and on shores. Stream banks, fencerows, edge of woods, forests, roadsides, hillsides, canyons, thickets; at elevations up to 2,600 metres.

The fruit are eaten fresh or dried and used for jelly and preserves. They are bitter. The twigs are used to flavour food. The seed kernels are added to dried meat and fat (Pemmican). The bark and twigs are used for tea.

Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings.