Prunus spinosa the more shrubby habit with stiffer, wider-angled branches of "P. spinosa"; in summer by the relatively narrower leaves of "P. spinosa", more than twice as long as broad; and in autumn by the colour of the fruit skin purplish black in "P. spinosa" and yellow or red in "P. cerasifera". "Prunus spinosa" has a tetraploid (2"n"=4"x"=32) set of chromosomes. The specific name "" is a Latin term indicating the pointed and thornlike spur shoots characteristic of this species. The common name "" is due to the thorny nature of the shrub, and its very dark bark. The word commonly used
Prunus cerasus Prunus cerasus Prunus cerasus (sour cherry, tart cherry, or dwarf cherry) is a species of "Prunus" in the subgenus "Cerasus" (cherries), native to much of Europe and southwest Asia. It is closely related to the sweet cherry ("Prunus avium"), but has a fruit that is more acidic. The tree is smaller than the sweet cherry (growing to a height of 4–10 m), has twiggy branches, and its crimson-to-near-black cherries are borne upon shorter stalks. There are several varieties of the sour cherry: the dark-red morello cherry and the lighter-red varieties including the amarelle cherry, and the popular Montmorency cherry. The