Prunus emarginata
Bitter cherry
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Family: Rosaceae · Type: Shrub / Tree · Native
Prunus emarginata (Bitter cherry) is a native California shrub / tree in the Rosaceae family, recognized by flat-topped racemes, small white flowers, and thicket-forming habit.
Bitter cherry is a native shrub found in the California Floristic Province (except Great Valley and Channel Islands) and Great Basin, growing on rocky slopes, in canyons, chaparral, and mixed-evergreen or conifer forests at elevations below 3,000 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces white flowers 3 to 8 millimeters long in flat-topped racemes with 6 to 12 blossoms. Growing as a shrub or small tree up to 15 meters tall, it often forms dense thickets with multiple stems. Its deciduous leaves are generally elliptic to obovate, 15 to 60 millimeters long, with crenate-serrate edges and a wedge-shaped base ending in an obtuse or rounded tip. The fruit is a small, glossy red to purple drupe 7 to 14 millimeters long with a fleshy pulp.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 13 sympatric species; key features are flat-topped racemes, small white flowers, and thicket-forming habit
Habitat and range
Habitat: Rocky slopes, canyons, chaparral, mixed-evergreen or conifer forest
Elevation: < 3000 m
California counties: Humboldt, Kern, Fresno, El Dorado, Mono, Tulare, Siskiyou, Alpine, San Luis Obispo, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Placer, Del Norte, Modoc, Lake, Trinity, Nevada, Madera, Tuolumne, Riverside, Plumas, San Mateo, San Diego, Sierra, Butte, Monterey, Mendocino, Shasta, Tehama, Alameda, Amador, Inyo, Mariposa, Marin, Glenn, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Calaveras, Colusa, San Francisco, Sonoma, Lassen, Napa, San Benito
Outside California: to British Columbia, Montana, New Mexico, Baja California
Bloom period
Prunus emarginata blooms Apr-Jun.
How to tell it apart
vs Quercus: Prunus has simple leaves with fine teeth; oak leaves are lobed or have coarse rounded teeth.; vs Rhamnus: Prunus has fleshy fruits with single hard pits; buckthorn has berry-like fruits with multiple seeds.; vs Malus: Prunus fruits have a single hard pit; apple fruits have a papery core with multiple seeds.; vs Frangula: Prunus has cup-shaped flower base that falls off; alder buckthorn has persistent berry-like fruit base.; vs Pyrus: Prunus produces single-pitted drupes; pear produces pome fruits with papery seed chambers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Prunus emarginata native to California?
Yes. Prunus emarginata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Prunus emarginata bloom?
Prunus emarginata blooms Apr-Jun.
Where in California does Prunus emarginata grow?
Prunus emarginata occurs in Humboldt, Kern, Fresno, El Dorado, Mono, Tulare, Siskiyou, Alpine and other counties, at elevations of < 3000 m.
What plant family does Prunus emarginata belong to?
Prunus emarginata is in the Rosaceae family, genus Prunus.
What habitat does Prunus emarginata grow in?
Prunus emarginata grows in Rocky slopes, canyons, chaparral, mixed-evergreen or conifer forest.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.