Scientific Name:
Oemleria cerasiformis
Pronunciation:
ohm-LER--ee-uh see-ras-if-FORM-iss
Common Name:
Oso berry, Indian plum
Family Name:
Rosaceae
Plant Type:
Shrub - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Upright, deciduous shrub 1-5m tall; leaves alternate, oblong to oblanceolate, most blades 9-12cm long x 6-8cm wide, margin entire, glossy, dark green/softly hairy, gray-green beneath, held upright, cucumber-like smell, petioles 5-10mm long; usually dioecious, female flowers yellowish to greenish-white, petals white, bell-shaped, scented, hanging from leaf axils, 5-10 per raceme; drupes oval, 8-10mm long, orange-red maturing blue-black, edible. Winter ID: bark bitter tasting; twigs with chambered pith and orange lenticels; buds pointed 4-14mm long, red.
Habit:
Arching, Twiggy, Upright
Form:
Oval - vertical
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
3 - 5m
Mature Spread:
1.5 - 2.0m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
B.C. west of Cascades, U.S. - northwest, U.S. - southwest
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 6: (-23 to -18 °C)
Exposure:
Part sun/part shade, Filtered shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Acidic, Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Attract birds, Fragrance, Mixed shrub border, Specimen plant, Spring interest, Summer interest, Wildlife food, Woodland margin
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Lustrous, Rugose, Pubescent, Distinctive smell
Colour in Fall:
Green
Shapes:
Lanceolate, Oblong
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Attenuate
Margins:
Entire, Undulate (wavy)
Inflorescence Type:
Raceme, Floriferous
Flower Morphology:
Dioecious plant
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Salverform
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
Showy, White, Yellow, Green
Flower Scent:
Fragrant
Flower Time at Peak:
Mar, Apr
Fruit Type:
Drupe, Edible
Fruit Colour:
Blue, Red, Black (Turning from yellow to pink to very dark blue)
Fruiting Time:
Jun, Jul
Additional Info:
Showy, Edible
Bark Morphology:
Smooth, Prominent lenticels, Multi-stem trunk
Bark or Stem Colour:
Brown
Leaf Bud Type:
Narrowly conical (Distinctive smell)
Leaf Scar Shape:
Crescent shaped
Propagation:
Seed, Greenwood cuttings
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Fungal leaf spot (Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant)
Course(s):
- HORT 1155
Location(s):
- (BCE) Boulevard (Circular) Eastend
- (JPL) Juglans PLanting
- (QRR) Quercus Robur Row planting
- (TFL) Turf Field Lab
- (TFLW) Turf Field Lab West
- (WLG) WoodLand Garden