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Plant · P-394
Sand Cherry
Prunus pumila
Sand Cherry is a low, sprawling shrub that binds loose dune and sand-bar ground with a dense mat of root suckers. Its small, richly acid drupes are eaten raw, cooked, dried or preserved, and a related variety produces a sweeter, larger fruit. It flowers early and is singled out as especially valuable to native bees. Full sun is non-negotiable for a crop - in shade it survives but does not fruit - and it does best in a hot, dry climate with sharp drainage rather than humid heat, which brings on canker and short-lived stands.
Record at a glance
Growing profile
- Sun
- Full Sun · Partial Sun
- USDA zone
- USDA 3–8
- Soil
- Sand · Loam · Clay
- Moisture
- Dry · Well-Drained
Vertical layer
Shrub- Soil pH
- 6–8
- Plant type
- Perennial
- Mature height
- 2–6 ft
- Mature spread
- 4–8 ft
- Plant spacing
- 4–6 ft
- Root type
- Rhizome
- Spread pattern
- Both
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The deeper layer
Plan what comes next.
- Primary
- Locked ecological function
- Secondary
- Locked ecological function
- Byproduct
- Locked ecological function
Behind the record
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