Mayday Cherry vs White Fringe Tree - TreeTime.ca

Mayday Cherry vs White Fringe Tree

Prunus padus

Chionanthus virginicus

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

Mayday Cherry
White Fringe Tree

Mayday Cherry is a small deciduous tree known for its early blooming and fragrant white flowers.

A favourite specimen tree on prairie homesteads, Mayday Cherry produces small black berries that are inedible to people but highly desirable to birds.

Note: This species is currently unavailable. Grow your own using Mayday Cherry seeds at SeedTime.ca.

White Fringe Tree is known for its fringe-like white flowers. It can either grow as a small tree or a large multistemmed shrub. The White Fringe Tree has separate male and female plants. Both male and female flowers have white fringe-like petals, but the male flowers are longer and showier. The female flowers give way to clusters of dark blue to black berries. These berries are not edible for humans but attract birds and other wildlife.

The White Fringe Tree is tolerant of clay soils, saline soils, and air pollution but does not do well in prolonged dry conditions.

Mayday Cherry Quick Facts

White Fringe Tree Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 9 m (30 ft)
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Spread: 8 m (25 ft)
Spread: 5 m (15 ft)
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no
Berries: small black berries
Berries: blue to black
Flowers: early blooming, white
Flowers: fragrant, white clusters
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: slow
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Suckering: low
Suckering: medium



Toxicity: seeds and leaves are toxic if ingested

Other Names: common bird cherry, european bird cherry
Other Names: american fringe tree, american fringetree, fringe tree, fringetree, north american fringe tree, white fringetree