Pawnee Buttes Western Sand Cherry (Prunus besseyi ‘Pawnee Buttes’)

Categories: Bird Habitat | Drought Tolerant | Dry Site | Erosion Control | GreatPlants for the Great Plains | Pollination | Sandy Site | Salt Tolerant | Shrubs Under 5′

Pawnee Buttes® Western Sand Cherry is a low-growing selection of our native western sand cherry, prized for its spreading groundcover habit, fragrant spring flowers, wildlife value, and exceptional tolerance of dry, sandy sites. Growing just 15–18 inches tall while spreading 4–6 feet wide, it is an excellent native alternative where a tough, low-growing woody groundcover is needed.

Fragrant white flowers appear abundantly in April, attracting bees and other early-season pollinators. These are followed by dark purple-black cherries in summer that provide a food source for birds and other wildlife. Glossy green foliage provides an attractive summer groundcover before turning striking shades of red and purple in fall.

Pawnee Buttes® is especially valuable for difficult landscapes. Once established, it is drought tolerant and well adapted to dry, sandy and well-drained soils. Its low, spreading growth makes it useful for slopes, mass plantings, naturalized areas, and sites where a durable native groundcover is desired.

NATIVE RANGE

Map courtesy of USDA-NRCS Plants Database.