Prunus ilicifolia - Holly Leaf Cherry
Prunus ilicifolia a great small tree for a dry garden. It gets to 15-20 feet tall and wide. The Holly Leaf Cherry leaves are very reminiscent of the Holly bushes, with prickly margins and a shiny top. Prunus ilicifolia blooms heavily in the mid-spring with clouds of creamy white flowers. Prunus ilicifoia literally hums with bees when it is in bloom. Then it produced cherries. The fruit are not to be confused with bing cherries but the bears love them and they are edible in a pinch. That is to say that you almost have to be a bear to love them. There is much more pit than fruit and even when ripe are very tart tasting, but the bears seem to like them anyways. Prunus ilicifolia is a host for the Lorquin's Admiral Butterfly and Pale Swallowtail. The trunk and branches of Prunus ilicifolia are so sinuous in character that they remind me of a dwarf version of a much larger tree.
A shrub full of creamy white flowers of Prunus ilicifolia - Holly Leaf Cherry. High resolution photos are part of our garden image collection.
A shrub full of creamy white flowers of Prunus ilicifolia - Holly Leaf Cherry. High resolution photos are part of our garden image collection.
A shrub full of creamy white flowers of Prunus ilicifolia - Holly Leaf Cherry. High resolution photos are part of our garden image collection.
A shrub full of creamy white flowers of Prunus ilicifolia - Holly Leaf Cherry.
Other plants from the Genus Prunus featured on this site:
Prunus andersonii
Prunus campanulata
Prunus ilicifolia lyonii
Elephant Heart Plum
May Pride Peach