Prunus virginiana

Prunus virginiana is a tree or shrub occurring in open woodlands, hillsides, bluffs, canyons, roadsides, streams, canyons, gullies, and thickets of North America, from the Northwest Territories and British Columbia east to Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, south through North Carolina, Georgia, and Arkansas throughout the central and western United States and Mexico. There are over 2,000 estimated occurrences of this species, which are threatened by land-use conversion, habitat fragmentation, and forest management practices. Little is known about threats and trends, but with a large range extent, high number of occurrences, abundant habitat, broad habitat preferences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, Prunus virginiana is considered secure.

Prunus virginiana occurs in North America, from the Northwest Territories and British Columbia east to Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, south through North Carolina, Georgia, and Arkansas throughout the central and western United States (FNA 2014, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2025). It also occurs in Mexico. Range extent was estimated to be over 12 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1994 and 2025 (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025). See individual entries for distribution details about the two varieties.

By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1994 and 2025, there are estimated to be over 2,000 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025).

In parts of its range, Prunus virginiana is threatened by land-use conversion, habitat fragmentation, and forest management practices (Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project 2002). There is insufficient data, including anecdotal accounts, to understand scope and severity of threats for this taxon.