Prunus virginiana (Choke Cherry) - photos and description
General: Shrub or small tree often forming thickets.
Flowers: White flowers grow in long racemes. Flowers measured at 10 mm diameter, racemes measured to 6 cm long.
Leaves: Leaves are alternate, ovate, serrate. Leaf highlighted in photo above was 50 mm long by 36 mm wide.
Height: Height is listed in Budd's Flora from 1 to 3 m. We've measured plants to 230 cm tall.
Habitat: Bluffs, ravines and woodlands.
Abundance: Very common.
Origin: Native.
Similar species: Might be mistaken for Prunus pensylvanica (Pin Cherry), however that shrub's flowers grow in small umbels, not in long racemes.
When and where photographed: Above photos taken May 26th, slopes of the Qu'Appelle Valley 40 km north of our home in Regina, SK.