This is an introduced small deciduous species of tree that is found infrequently in southern BC.

General:
Tree, 5-25 m tall, mostly smooth throughout; bark reddish-brown, peeling in horizontal strips, with prominent horizontal lenticels.

Leaves:
Alternate, deciduous, oblong-egg-shaped, 6-15 cm long, saw-toothed, gradually tapering to a sharp-pointed tip, smooth above, sometimes downy-hairy beneath; leaf-stalk with 1 or 2 conspicuous reddish glands at the top.

Flowers:
Inflorescence a loose umbel-like cluster, on a short lateral spur-shoot, of 2 to 6 long-stalked flowers; corollas white, bowl-shaped, 15-30 mm across, the petals 5, egg-shaped, squared-off or notched at the tip, 8-15 mm long; calyces 5-lobed, the lobes entire; ovaries superior.

Fruits:
Fleshy drupes with a large stone (cherries), nearly globe-shaped, 15-25 mm long, on stalks about 2.5 cm long, yellow becoming bright to dark red; seeds 1.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Illustration Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Cerasus avium (L.) Moench