14.) PRUNUS - Cherries - Pages

14.) PRUNUS - Cherries

PRUNUS L.

Prunus persica (L.) Batsch (Peach) / General Very Rare Widely but infrequently grown and very rarely escaping; most likely from discarded shop-bought fruit. First recorded at Weston-super-Mare in the 1970s? by?; to the south of the region in the 1970s? by? [BSBI records]; a single self-sown specimen on the west bank of the A432 at Kendleshire, South Gloucestershire in 1998 by I.P. Green and most recently on three occasions in 2025 by D. Peters: a young sapling at the base of a recently planted street tree on Gloucester Road, Bristol; another near the M Shed by the harbourside; and again beside the harbourside along Welsh Back, opposite Little King Street.

[Maybe just mention first and most recent records.]

Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A. Webb (P. amygdalus Batsch) (Almond) - General Very Rare Rarely grown; mainly around Bristol. First noted in our region amongst scrub on a sheltered terrace at St. Vincent's Rocks Gully, Avon Gorge in 2000 by L. Houston; then found as a mature planted shrub on pre-industrial land at Avonmouth in 2012 by Avon Wildlife Trust; and at Clevedon in 2010s by ? [BSBI record].
Prunus armeniaca L. var. armeniaca (Apricot) General Very Rare One old large tree at Golden Hill Allotments, Bishopston, North Bristol has been known by D. Peters since 2015 and is the sole record.
Prunus cerasifera Ehrh. (Cherry Plum) / General Uncommon Widely planted in parks, cemeteries etc. and as a street tree and occasionally found in hedgerows and woodland; mainly in urban areas. It rarely produces fruits and so rarely self-seeds but notably both var. cerasifera and var. pissardii were found to be naturalised with a succession of different aged saplings at Westbury Wildlife Park, Westbury-on-Trym in 2021 by D. Peters.

var. cerasifera General Uncommon The nominant plant with green foliage unlike the purple-leaved var. pissardii. Much less commonly encountered than var. pissardii.

var. pissardii (Carrière) L.H. Bailey General Uncommon (on DB as P. pissardii) The more widely occurring plant with purple foliage and white to very pale pink blossom. The cultivar 'Nigra' with solid pink blossom and usually flowering slightly earlier is also widely planted.

Prunus cerasifera × P. domestica = P. x syriaca Borkh. (Mirabelle Plum) General Very Rare Often recognised as a subspecies of P. domestica. A single shrub laden with conspicuous yellow-orange fruits was found bordering a hedgerow at Compton Greenfield in 2025 during a BNS meeting. It was possibly dispersed there by a badger from a nearby cultivated source (judging by the evidence of stones in nearby droppings). Mirabelle Plum is believed to have originated in the region of Anatolia.
Prunus spinosa L. (Blackthorn) / Woodland Common Common throughout the region in hedgerows, woodland and scrub. Starts flowering as early as January in warmer parts of the region and when seen in full bloom, is one of the most spectacular sites to be seen in late winter / early spring; especially when viewed close enough to hear the hum of thousands of insects it provides for. Unfortunately, many of our hedgerows kept frequently cut and tidy, no longer support this display and are now desolate of blossom and berries. And if any are produced, they soon get chopped before the Summer's even over. It's unfortunate that this modern tradition continues in full force but it is finally being realised that it is possible to maintain positive practices by cutting hedgerows on a rotation in order to promote a broader range of growth stages and improve their value for this thing called 'wildlife'. The Blackthorn's ability to send out suckers from the ground enable it to quickly spread in unmanaged areas - brilliant in scenarios where more scrub and woodland habitat is wanted but can be a problem for some of our rarest and most delicate flora which often require open ground. Also often called Sloe; Heg or Egg-Peg Bushes and Hedge-pigs are alternative local names to Gloucestershire (Riddelsdell, 1948) and Snags is a local name to Somerset (Murry, 1896).
Prunus spinosa x P. domestica = P. x fruticans Weihe (Blackthorn x Plum) Woodland Scarce Found sparsely scattered over the region in hedges and woodland. It is probably under-recorded. Most plants in our region are more specifically hybrids with the Bullace - P. domestica ssp. insititia. "We have a number of which, although not satisfactory insititia, diverge towards it from spinosa in varying degree. The var. fruticans - taller and larger in all its parts, with leaves pubescent on the veins beneath, and erect globose fruit half as big again as that of the sloe - seems to be a good intermediate between it and the bullace. It has been identified on Clifton Down; at Filton; on Lansdown; and at Barrow Guerney; but I find it difficult to determine. I think it must be fairly frequent in North Somerset, for sloes brought in for sale by country folk are sometimes mixed with a good proportion of the larger fruits." (White, 1912).
Prunus domestica L. (Plum) / Woodland Common Frequent in hedgerows, scrub and woodland but also widely cultivated and often escapes onto nearby marginal ground such as railway banks, roadsides and edges of playing fields. Plums are thought to have been one of the first fruits to be domesticated by humans. Originating from West Asia and derived from natural hybrids between Cherry Plum - P. cerasifera and Blackthorn - P. spinosa. Plums and bullaces are presumed to have been brought over to Britain by the Romans whilst greengages were introduced much later and are credited to Sir William Gage, 2nd Baronet of Hengrave in the early 18th century. The plums most often sold in supermarkets (dark purple-red, round and firm with dark red to reddish-yellow flesh) are cultivars of Japanese or Chinese Plum - Prunus salicina.
ssp. domestica (Plum) / Woodland Uncommon The nominate plum, often planted but rarely found in the wild in places such as hedgerows, scrub and woodland. Commonly cultivated under many cultivars and sometimes escapes onto nearby marginal ground such as railway banks and roadsides.
ssp. insititia (L.) Bonnier & Layens (P. insititia L.) (Bullace / Damson) - Woodland Frequent Otherwise known as Damson. This is the most frequent plum to be found wild in the region; well distributed in hedgerows, scrub and woodland. Earliest local and British record: "I never saw in all my lyfe more plenty of...bulles trees than in Sommersetshyre." (Turner, 1562).
ssp. x italica (Borkh.) Gams ex Hegi (Greengage) General Very Rare (as P. domestica subsp. italica on DB) Widely but not often grown; occurring as a planted relic or occasionally self-sown in hedges. Recorded at Bishopston in 2007 by G. Oliver [record in garden - probably get rid]; Thornbury in 2016 by Sean Rinaldi; Thornbury in 2017 by Peter Davis; Oldbury-on-Severn in 2017 by Peter Davis; and Oldbury Naite in 2017 by Guy Rawlinson.
Prunus avium (L.) L. (Wild Cherry) / Woodland Common Locally common throughout the region in woodland, scrub and occasionally hedgerows. It is also widely planted and cultivated for its fruit under many cultivars. Also known as Gean (a frequent term used in forestry) and Mazzard (also given to P. cerasus) - a local name to Gloucestershire (Riddelsdell, 1948).
Prunus cerasus L. (Dwarf Cherry) Woodland Very Rare Very rare in woodland, scrub and hedgerows. Recorded at Portishead? in the 1970s? by? [BSBI record]; at Lamplighter's Marsh, Shirehampton in 1984 and again in 1989 by I.F. Gravestock.; at Crox Bottom, Hengrove in 2004 by R. Bland. Also recorded at Bitton by H.N. Ellacombe and at Churchill and Hill (North of Rockhampton), South Gloucestershire by E. Nelmes in Riddelsdell (1948).

[also found near Webbington in the 1990s - BSBI record - just within region?]

Prunus mahaleb L. (ssp. mahaleb) (St Lucie Cherry) Woodland Very Rare A single tree is known to occur in scrub on Durdham Down - where it was first recorded in 1957 by N.Y. Sandwith.
Prunus serrulata Lindl. (Japanese Cherry) General Uncommon Frequently found planted for ornament in parks, gardens, churchyards and along streets; mainly around Bristol - often as the cultivar 'Kanzan' with pink flore pleno (double) flowers. It is often grafted onto the native P. avium for stock.
Prunus padus L. (var. padus) (Bird Cherry) / Woodland Uncommon Native to Britain but not considered to be native in our area. It is widely planted in parks and public green spaces and is occasionally found in hedgerows and woodland. Most planted specimens are the cultivar 'Watereri' - "with showy racemes to 20 cm" (Stace, 2021) but a single tree of 'Colorata' - with pink flowers on shorter racemes and purple infused foliage was found outside Westbury Wildlife Park, Westbury-on-Trym in 2022 by D. Peters. Trees regularly become carpeted in silken web by huge aggregations of the Bird-cherry Ermine Moth caterpillar - Yponomeuta evonymella - a sight which can cause alarm to those unfamiliar with it and even occasionally pops up in the media with titles such as 'invasion', but they are native and cause the tree absolutely no harm.
Prunus lusitanica L. (ssp. lusitanica) (Portugal Laurel) / Woodland Uncommon Widely cultivated and sometimes escapes and becomes established in hedgerows and woodland such as at Goblin Combe; mainly found around Bristol.
Prunus laurocerasus L. (Cherry Laurel) / Woodland Frequent Frequently grown and often becomes established in woodland where it often becomes invasive, forming dense patches which shade out all other vegetation. Plants with narrow leaves from the cultivar 'Otto Luyken' have become increasingly popular and are now widely planted in car parks.

List:

Prunus persica (L.) Batsch (Peach) / General
Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A. Webb (P. amygdalus Batsch - Kew, GBIF) (Almond) - General
Prunus armeniaca L. var. armeniaca (Apricot) - one old large tree at Golden Hill Allotments and a self-seeded shrub in a nearby hedgerow along Gaston Lane?
Prunus cerasifera Ehrh. (var. pissardii - Stace, NBN (on DB as P. pissardii) and P. 'Nigra' - stace) (Cherry Plum) / Woodland
Prunus cerasifera × P. domestica = P. x syriaca Borkh. (Mirabelle Plum) General
Prunus spinosa L. (Blackthorn) / Woodland
Prunus spinosa x P. domestica = P. x fruticans Weihe (Blackthorn x Plum) Woodland
Prunus domestica L. ssp. domestica (Plum) / Woodland
Prunus domestica ssp. insititia (L.) Bonnier & Layens (P. insititia L. - Kew) (Bullace / Damson) - Woodland
Prunus domestica ssp. x italica (Borkh.) Gams ex Hegi (Greengage) [is a hybrid between ssp. domestica and ssp. insititia] (as Prunus domestica subsp. italica on DB)
Prunus avium (L.) L. (Wild Cherry) / Woodland
Prunus cerasus L. (Dwarf Cherry) Woodland
Prunus mahaleb L. (ssp. mahaleb - Kew, GBIF) (St Lucie Cherry) Woodland
Prunus serrulata Lindl. (Japanese Cherry)
Prunus padus L. (var. padus - Kew, GBIF) (planted as P. padus 'Watereri') (Bird Cherry) / Woodland
Prunus lusitanica L. (ssp. lusitanica - Kew, GBIF) (Portugal Laurel) / Woodland
Prunus laurocerasus L. (those with narrow leaves planted as P. laurocerasus 'Otto Luyken') (Cherry Laurel) / Woodland

species to add:

Prunus armeniaca L. var. armeniaca (Apricot) - one old large tree at Golden Hill Allotments and a self-seeded shrub in a nearby hedgerow along Gaston Lane?
Prunus cerasifera × P. domestica = P. x syriaca Borkh. (Mirabelle Plum)
Prunus domestica ssp. x italica (Borkh.) Gams ex Hegi (Greengage) [is a hybrid between ssp. domestica and ssp. insititia] (as Prunus domestica subsp. italica on DB)
Prunus serrulata Lindl. (Japanese Cherry)

Could occur:

Prunus cerasifera x spinosa = P. x simmleri Paléz. (Cherry Plum x Blackthorn)
Prunus serotina Ehrh. (var. serotina - Kew, GBIF) (Rum Cherry) - [two saplings at Rodway Hill, discovered by the Kitchens might be this]