Species: Prunus pumila var. besseyi (Bailey) Gleason

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Prunus pumila var. besseyi (Bailey) Gleason

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TAXONOMY

Family:

Rosaceae

Genus:

Prunus

Species Synonyms:

Cerasus pumila ssp. besseyi (Bailey) W.A. Weber
Prunus besseyi Bailey
Prunus pumila ssp. besseyi (Bailey) Nizhnikev

Common Names:

western sandcherry
dwarf sandcherry
Bessey’s sandcherry

DISTRIBUTION

Canada:

east-central and southeastern Saskatchewan – southern Manitoba

Saskatchewan:

southeastern Saskatchewan; Red Deer River Valley – Qu’Appelle River Valley

Ecoregion:

Aspen Parkland, Mid-Boreal Lowland

HABITAT

Saskatchewan:

sandy pine woods or prairie banks

Canadas:

sandy beaches, dunes, and calcareous shores and ledges

RARITY STATUS

Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):

Endangered

Nature Conservancy Status:

G5 S1

Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:

None

COSEWIC Status:

None

Western sandcherry is endangered because of extreme rarity in Saskatchewan. Immediate or probable threats have been identified for this species.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION

Height:

10 – 40 cm

Stems:

low shrub, spreading or ascending, bark almost black; branches red, becoming greyish, hairless

Leaves:

simple, alternate, 4 – 6.5 cm long, 1 – 2.5 cm wide, inversely lance-shaped to spatula-shaped, base wedge-shaped, tip acute to obtuse, dark green above, bluish below, margin entire near the base; leaf stalks 5 – 14 mm long, hairless, may be glandular near leaf; stipules 4 – 10 mm long, narrowly lance-shaped, may be narrowly lobed, glandular, hairless

Inflorescence:

in clusters of 2 – 4; flower stalks 4 – 10 mm long

Flowers:

regular; hypanthium bell-shaped, hairless; sepals 5, often glandular, hairless; petals 5, about 1 cm across, white; stamens 25 - 30

Fruits:

one-seeded, fleshy, 6 – 12 mm broad, dark brown to purplish, hairless; stone oval

PRUNUS KEY FOR SPECIES FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN

1 Flowers in elongate terminal, elongated clusters	2
1 Flowers solitary, bundled, or in umbrella-like clusters, usually in clusters of 2 – 5	3

2 Leaves thick; shrub or small tree to 6 m tall; fruits black and sweet	P. virginiana var. melanocarpa
2 Leaves thin; shrub or small tree to 15 m tall; fruits red or purplish and astringent	P. virginiana var. virginiana

3 Leaves entire near base; leaves bluish below	P. pumila var. besseyi
3 Leaves toothed to base or nearly so; leaves green below	4

4 Plums; stone flattened or swollen; petals 9 – 15 mm long	P. americana
4 Cherries; stone more or less round; petals not more than 8 mm long	P. pensylvanica var. pensylvanica