Oemleria cerasiformis

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Oemleria cerasiformis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Rosales Family: Rosaceae Genus: Oemleria Species: O. cerasiformis
Binomial name
Oemleria cerasiformis (Torr. & Gray ex Hook. & Arn.) Landon

Oemleria cerasiformis, also known as the Osoberry and Indian Plum, is the sole species in genus Oemleria. It is a shrub native to the Pacific coast and ranges of North America, from British Columbia, Canada to Santa Barbara County, California, U.S.A. ^[1]. It is among the first plants to leaf out and flowers early in the spring. It reaches a height of 1.5–5 m and has lance-shaped leaves 5–12 cm long. Native Americans ate them, made tea of the bark, and chewed its twigs to use as a mild anesthetic and aphrodisiac ^[2].

[edit] References

1. ^ "USDA PLANTS Profile: Oemleria cerasiformis.
2. ^ Pojar, Jim; Andy MacKinnon (2004). Plants of the Pacific Northwest. Lone Pine Publishing, 72. ISBN 978-1551055305.