The Pin cherry or Fire cherry ( Prunus pensylvanica ) is a species in the genus Prunus . It can be found from Newfoundland and southern Labrador , crossing Canada to the west and reaching British Columbia and the southern Northwest Territories . Additionally it is very common in New England and the Lake States but not very common south of Pennsylvania , where it is found only sporadically in the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia and eastern Tennessee . Scattered growth of the Pin cherry also occurs in the Rocky Mountains , south to Colorado and southeast to the Black Hills of South Dakota .