Terms of flowering honey plants in the USA and Canada

According to observations of naturalists and beekeepers.

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Scientific name:

Prunus pensylvanica

Common name(s):

Pin cherry, Fire cherry, Bird cherry.

Life form:

Tree-shrub.

Flowering time:

no data.

Flowering period

in Massachusetts for this plant is: Late MayJune.

NECTAR PRODUCTION:
No data

SOURCE FOR HONEY BEES:
Minor


General distribution:

Pin cherry occurs from Newfoundland and southern Labrador west across Canada to British Columbia and southern Northwest Territories. It is widespread in New England and the Lake States; south of Pennsylvania, it occurs only in the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia and eastern Tennessee. Scattered stands are also found in the Rocky Mountains, south to Colorado and southeast to the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Map of distribution and habitat in USA

This plant is present in at least 41 states/provinces in this country.

See The Map

Botanical description:

Pin cherry is a shrub or small tree. It generally has a straight trunk and a narrow, round-topped crown, though it may form thickets. Branches, at first ascending, become more or less horizontal and spreading with age. Pin cherry generally grows 15 to 50 feet (5-15 m) tall and 4 to 20 inches (10-51 cm) in diameter. However, trees up to 100 feet tall (30 m) have been found in the southern Appalachians, with the largest size attained on western slopes of the Great Smoky Mountains. In western North America, pin cherry may be generally smaller with an arching shrub form, growing 5 to 15 feet (1.5-4.5 m) tall and spreading 5 to10 feet (1.5-3 m).

Pin cherry has thin foliage, with leaves 1.5 to 4.3 inches (4-11 cm) long and 0.5 to 1.75 inches (1-4.5 cm) wide. Flowers grow in small clusters of 5 to 7 with individual flowers 0.4 inches (1 cm) across. Fruit are drupes 0.15 to 0.3 inch (4-8 mm) across with 1 large seed. Seeds are 0.15 to 0.24 inch (4-6 mm) in diameter with a thick seed coat. There are 13,600 to 22,700 seeds per pound (30,000-50,000 seeds/kg).

Pin cherry has a shallow root system.

Pin cherry is short-lived, maturing rapidly and dying off at 20 to 40 years.

Seasonal development:

Flower buds form in August or September and flowers bloom with the expanding leaves from late March through June. Fruit matures from July to September and may persist on trees through the autumn. Seed dispersal occurs from July into the winter months.


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List of honey plants that may be blooming now in Massachusetts
See the entire list

Salix bebbiana (aka: Bebb willow, Beak willow, Beaked willow, Long-beaked willow, Diamond willow, Chaton, Petit Minou, Smooth Bebb willow)

Vaccinium corymbosum (aka: Highbush blueberry, High-bush blueberry, Northern highbush blueberry, Tall blueberry, Rabbiteye blueberry, Blue huckleberry, Tall huckleberry, Swamp huckleberry, High blueberry, Swamp blueberry)

Rubus parviflorus (aka: Thimbleberry, Western thimbleberry)

Rhus glabra (aka: Smooth sumac, Common sumac, Rocky Mountain sumac, Red sumac, Western sumac, White sumac)

Allium schoenoprasum (aka: Chives)

Brassica napus (aka: Rapeseed)

Sinapis arvensis (aka: Charlock mustard, California rape, Charlock, Corn mustard, Canola, Kaber mustard, Rapeseed mustard)

Robinia pseudoacacia (aka: Black locust, False acacia, Yellow locust, White locust, Green locust, Post locust, Falsa acacia, Robinia)

Asclepias tuberosa (aka: Butterflyweed, Butterfly Milkweed, Orange Milkweed, Pleurisy Root, Chigger Flower, Canada root, Fluxroot, Indian paintbrush, Indian posy, Orange root, Orange Swallow-wort, Tuber root, Yellow milkweed, White-root, Windroot, Butterfly love)

Calendula officinalis (aka: Marigold, Calendula, Pot marigold, English marigold)

Tilia americana (aka: American basswood, Basswood, Linden)

Amorpha fruticosa (aka: Desert false indigo, False indigo-bush, Bastard indigobush, Indigo Bush)

Asclepias syriaca (aka: Сommon milkweed, Butterfly flower, Silkweed, Silky swallow-wort, Virginia silkweed)

Salsola kali (aka: Russian thistle, Tumbleweed, Prickly saltwort)

Brassica rapa (aka: Field mustard, Common mustard, Wild mustard, Wild turnip, Forage turnip, Wild rutabaga, Birdsrape mustard, Rape mustard)

Echium vulgare (aka: Viper's bugloss, Blueweed, Blue thistle)

Rubus armeniacus (aka: Himalayan blackberry, Rubus discolor, Rubus procerus)

Rubus laciniatus (aka: Cutleaf blackberry, Evergreen blackberry, Slashed blackberry)

Cucumis sativus (aka: Cucumber, Cetriolo, Gherkin)

Cucumis melo (aka: Cantaloupe, Rockmelon, Sweet melon, Spanspek, Honeydew melon, Honeymelon, Crenshaw, Casaba)

Citrullus lanatus (aka: Watermelon)

Borago officinalis (aka: Borage, Starflower, Common borage, Cool-tankard, Tailwort)

Diervilla lonicera (aka: Northern bush honeysuckle, Bush-honeysuckle, Dwarf bush-honeysuckle, Herbe bleue)

Aralia spinosa (aka: Devil's walkingstick, Prickly ash, Hercules club, Angelica tree, Prickly elder, Pick tree, Toothache tree, Shotbush)

Cephalanthus occidentalis (aka: Common buttonbush, Buttonball, Buttonbush, Button willow, Riverbush, Honey-bells)

Cirsium arvense (aka: Creeping Thistle, Canada thistle, Field thistle, California thistle, Lettuce from hell thistle, Corn thistle, Cursed thistle, Green thistle, Hard thistle, Perennial thistle, Prickly thistle, Small-flowered thistle, Way thistle, Stinger-needles)

Hyssopus officinalis (aka: Hyssop)

Calluna vulgaris (aka: Heather, Scotch heather, Common heather, Ling, Simply heather)