Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)
Identifying Features
Plant Family: Rosaceae
Native Range: Eastern and Central North America
Leaf: deciduous, alternate, simple and finely toothed
Twig and Bud: twigs are shiny reddish-brown with prominent lenticels, buds are very small and covered in glossy reddish-brown to greenish scales
Flower, Fruit and Seed: white flowers in slender, pendulous clusters, fruits are dark purple-black cherries
Bark: mature bark is black-gray and flaky, often described as looking like black cornflakes
Shape and Mature Height: long limb-free trunk when growing in forests, mature trees typically 50-60 feet but can be up to 100 feet tall
Garden Value and Considerations
Black cherry trees are considered too weedy and aggressive for garden use and are susceptible to numerous pests and diseases. These trees benefit from full to part sun and rich, moist, well-drained soils. Black cherry trees produce pendulous clusters of white, fragrant flowers in the spring. The red cherries that follow, ripen to a dark purple-black.
Notes
Black cherry fruits are bitter, but attract birds and mammals. The trees produce high quality wood, often used for furniture, veneer, interior trim, tools and musical instruments. The leaves, bark and roots of black cherry contain toxic cyanogenic compounds. As a result, crushing a leaf or scratching the bark will result in a bitter almond smell. Despite these compounds black cherry trees serve as a host plant for the caterpillars of eastern tiger swallowtail butterflies, cherry scallop shell moths, and cherry dagger moths, among others.
