Students for Stewardship The Cork Board
← Back to the library

Birch Bark Cherry

Prunus serrula (PROO-nus ser-oo-LAH)

Family: Rosaceae Non-native Understory

Tibetian Cherry has shiny smooth red-brown bark and is native to China. Perennial in zones 5-6. Will grow in the mountainous areas of NC. Best grown in fertile well-drained soils in full sun to partial shade. The bark is the most ornamental feature for the winter garden. More information on Prunus .

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 45 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 2 - Understory
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Tree
USDA zones
5a, 5b, 6a, 6b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
NC region
Mountains
Growth rate
Medium
Canopy layer
2 - Understory
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Pyramidal; Rounded
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf size
3-6 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
2 to 4 in. alternate, simple leaves with serrated margins
Flower color
White
Flower form
Umbel
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
0.6 in. white flowers singly or in 2-4 flower umbrels in late spring
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Drupe
Fruit value
Edible
Fruit size
< 1 inch long
Fruit detail
0.5 in. red fruit
Bark color
Dark Brown; Red/Burgundy
Bark detail
Glistening, red brown to mahogany like bark with horizontal lenticles.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
China
Wildlife value
This is a larval host plant to Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus). You may see three flights from February-November in the deep south and two flights from May-September in the north.
Attracts
Butterflies; Pollinators
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Fruit
Harvest time
Spring
Fruit type
Drupe
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Lawn
Landscape theme
Butterfly Garden; Pollinator Garden; Winter Garden
Design feature
Flowering Tree
Garden tags
#deciduous #shiny #smooth bark #problem for cats #problem for dogs #problem for horses #eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly #butterfly friendly #larval host plant #pollinator plant #wildlife friendly
Problems & Resistance
Problems
Problem for Cats; Problem for Dogs; Problem for Horses

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.