Black Cherry
Prunus serotina Ehrh.
Also known as Wild Cherry or Rum Cherry.
Mature Size: 60 to 100 feet in height and 1 to 4 feet in diameter.
Form: Long, clear trunk and oblong crown.
Habitat: Grows on many sites that are not very wet or very dry; reaches best growth in mountains.
Leaves
Alternate, simple, 2 to 5 inches long, oblong to lance-shaped, finely toothed, dark green and shiny above, paler below, usually with yellowish-brown fuzz along mid-rib.
Flowers
Small white flowers in hanging, narrow clusters 4 to 6 inches long, appearing in late spring when leaves are about half expanded.
Fruit
Dark purple to almost black when ripe, round, 1/3 inch in diameter, maturing in summer.
Bark
On young trees, thin, satiny, reddish brown, with horizontal markings made up of patches or rows of pores; on older trees, dark brown to black, covered with small, scaly plates with slightly upraised edges, resembling burnt potato chips.
Twigs
Slender, reddish brown, with pronounced bitter almond odor when scratched; buds very small, with several glossy, reddish brown to greenish scales.
Values and Uses
Black cherry is the largest of the native cherries of the United States and the only one of commercial value. The wood is reddish-brown with yellowish sapwood. It is moderately heavy, hard, strong and fine-grained. Black cherry is valuable for furniture and interior finish. The fruit is an important food source for many birds and other wildlife. In earlier days, the bark was used medicinally and to make a tonic. The fruit is also sometimes used in jelly and wine.
Did You Know?
Black cherry is often found growing along fences, power lines and other spots where the seeds have been dropped (fertilizer included!) by perching birds.
