Sand Cherry, Western Sand Cherry               PROO-nus BES-se-i

• Deciduous shrub, suckering, spreading, to 4-6 ft (1.2-1.6 m) tall and wide.  Leaves alternate, simple, oval, oval-lanceolate, occasionally obovate, 4.5-6.5 cm long, 1-2.5 cm wide, narrower on fruiting branches, margin finely serrate, tip acute, base often wedge-shaped, upper surface dark to gray-green.  Flowers white, appear with leaves, about 15 mm across, 5 petals, 25-30 stamens.  Fruit globose to ovoid, about 15 mm, purplish-black, glossy; edible, used for pies, jellies and jams.
• Sun to part shade.  Tolerates cold, heat, wind, and drought.
• Hardy to USDA Zone 3     Native range from Manitoba to Wyoming and Colorado, east to Minnesota and Kansas.
• besseyi: after Charles E. Bessey (1845-1915), American botanist, considered one of the great developers of botanical education in the U.S.