About Prunus pumila L.
Prunus pumila, commonly known as sand cherry, is a North American cherry species belonging to the rose family. It is widespread across eastern and central Canada, ranging from New Brunswick west to Saskatchewan, and across the northern United States from Maine to Montana, extending south as far as Colorado, Kansas, Indiana, and Virginia. A small number of isolated populations are also found in Tennessee and Utah. This species grows in sandy habitats, including shorelines and dunes. Prunus pumila is a deciduous shrub, reaching 0.61 to 1.83 metres (2 to 6 feet) tall depending on the variety. It forms dense clonal colonies through sprouts growing from its root system. Its leaves are leathery, 4 to 7 centimetres (1+5⁄8 to 2+3⁄4 inches) long, and have a serrated margin. The flowers are 15 to 25 millimetres (9⁄16 to 1 inch) in diameter, with five white petals and 25 to 30 stamens, and are produced in small clusters of two to four flowers. The fruit is a small cherry 13 to 15 mm (1⁄2 to 9⁄16 inch) in diameter, which ripens to dark purple in early summer. Four varieties of Prunus pumila are recognized: Prunus pumila var. besseyi (Bailey) Gleason, commonly called western sand cherry or Rocky Mountain cherry, found in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, western Ontario, and ranges south to Colorado and Kansas; Prunus pumila var. depressa (Pursh) Gleason, commonly called eastern sand cherry, found from Ontario, Québec, and New Brunswick south to Pennsylvania; Prunus pumila var. pumila, commonly called Great Lakes sand cherry, found on the shores of the Great Lakes; and Prunus pumila var. susquehanae (hort. ex Willd.) Jaeger, commonly called Susquehana sand cherry, ranging from Manitoba east to Maine and south to Tennessee. Prunus × cistena, the purple leaf sand cherry, is a hybrid between Prunus cerasifera (cherry plum) and P. pumila. It was developed in 1910 by Niels Ebbesen Hansen of South Dakota State University. This hybrid grows to around 2.1 m (7 ft) tall and can live up to 20 years.
