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Pin cherry is a
common shrub throughout forested parts of Manitoba, but
it grows best in deciduous forest regions with rich,
moist soils. The bright red "cherries" (drupes) hanging
in cherry-like bunches make this plant easy to recognize
when the fruits are ripe. It can grow to be a small tree
(up to 4 m tall, with stems to 10 cm in diameter), but is
usually a tall shrub with upright stems. It spreads
slowly by "suckers": new shoots that grow from its
spreading roots.
Pin cherry flowers bloom
in late May to early June and the cherries will ripen in
late July and into August. The fruits are tart, but tasty
and make excellent jellies. Small mammals like chipmunks
and squirrels like to eat them and many birds do, too.
Despite the presence of hydrocyanic acid, many birds and
mammals will still eat the hard "pits" within the
cherries.
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CAUTION:
Chokecherries and other plants of the Genus:
Prunus, contain poisonous hydrocyanic acid in their
seeds (pits), leaves and bark. Only the flesh of
these fruits should be eaten.
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