The black cherry leaf size is usually between 2 and 6 inches long with a long, pointed tip and tapered base. Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool →, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Prunus Serotina, United States Department of Agriculture: Black Cherry, Iowa State University: Black Cherry (Prunus Serotina). Often, cherry trees will be filled with birds. The edges of each leaf are finely toothedToothed: Leaves which have a saw-toothed edge. The bark of an older Black Cherry consists of layers of reddish-brown or black scales with upturned edges. Red Foxes, Eastern Chipmunks, Eastern Cottontails, White-footed Mice, Gray Squirrels, and Red Squirrels forage on fallen cherries, while Black Bears and Raccoons climb Black Cherry trees for the fruits. The tree is a hardwood and the lineal taxonomy is Magnoliopsida > Rosales > Rosaceae > Prunus serotina Ehrh. Dark green in color for the growing season, the leaves change in fall, displaying shades of yellow, orange and red. There are additional disjunct populations to the South, in Mexico and Guatemala. The fruit ripens in August and is pea-sized with a single pit inside. The leaves of the Black Cherry are oblong, with a long pointed tip and a tapering base. Black Cherries are part of the mixed woods forest that provides the breeding range for many bird species, including Hooded Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Wild Turkey, and Northern Saw-whet Owl. The branches of the wild cherry tree are slender and long; low branches may droop and touch the ground, but most of the canopy does not droop. As the trees mature, the bark breaks into scales that are curled outward. Black cherry is a large, native tree found in the Midwest and throughout the eastern United States. We rate cherry as a second class tree based on its current demand in markets. Black cherry trees native to Indiana produce a red-black fruit that is a natural food source for wildlife. Black Cherry is the only cherry of commercial value in the US. Prunus serotina, commonly called black cherry, wild black cherry, rum cherry, or mountain black cherry, is a deciduous tree or shrub belonging to the genus Prunus. The wood is also used for paneling, professional and scientific instruments, veneers, handles, interior trim, and toys. Online Encyclopedia of Life. Prunus serotina. Forest Service. Small mammals such as raccoons, white-footed mice, and foxes feed on the fruit that falls to the ground. Retrieved 12 April 2016. Department of Environmental Conservation. The leaves, like the branches, are alternateAlternate: An arrangement of leaves (or buds) on a stem (or twig) in which the leaves emerge from the stem one at a time. They prefer soils that are well-draining and loose. The fruit of cherry trees grow in a dense cluster and each cherry contains only one seed. The inner bark is an ingredient in a type of cough syrup. Dark green in color for the growing season, the leaves change in fall, displaying shades of yellow, orange and red. The leaves will be dark green, except in fall when they are orange or yellow, and the edges of the leaves will be mostly smooth. University of Wisconsin. Learn which plants thrive in your Hardiness Zone with our new interactive map! Michael Wojtech. Bark: A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast (University Press of New England, 2011), pp. You may find many black cherry trees growing together, as the seeds the fruits contain fall to the ground to grow new seedlings. Retrieved 18 December 2019. Field Guide. An adult wild cherry tree will have brown to black bark, which is cracked with thick lines running through it. 2019. Prunus serotina's wide natural range spans from Southeastern Canada to Texas, with a disjunct (genetically related but geographically separated) population in central Texas and mountain ranges in the Southwestern United States. All Rights Reserved. The emerging leaves of the Black Cherry are often reddish. Online Conservation Guide for Spruce Flats. The bark of a mature Black Cherry tree is said to resemble burnt corn flakes, providing a handy memory device: Black Cherry/Burnt Cornflakes. It commonly attains heights of 60 feet and diameters of up to 2 feet on good sites; on less desirable sites it is often much smaller in size. Retrieved 26 February 2017. This tree grows well in hardiness zones 3b to 9a. This species is bittersweet, in more ways than one: the tree's fruits are edible and can be eaten raw—they are used to flavor rum and brandy ("cherry bounce"), as well as to make jellies and wine—but the roots, bark, leaves, and twigs can be highly toxic to wildlife, due to the presence of cyanogenic compounds. “Prunus serotina: Black Cherry.” University of Florida IFAS Extension. The fruit is one-third of an inch wide, about the size of a large pea, and starts out red before turning black-purple by late summer or early autumn. 2019. You can find Black Cherry along several of the interpretive trails on the Paul Smith's College VIC. Leaves develop early in spring, usually before those of most surrounding trees, growing on alternating sides of the branch. The bark on the young wild black cherry tree is smooth, dark gray in color and has lenticles, which are raised pores, throughout. New York Natural Heritage Program. Although, the prices for cherry is on the rise as it is growing in popularity once again. Wild black cherry (Prunus serotina) grows from Maine to Florida and westward into the Great Plains. 2019. Forest Ecology Research and Demonstration Area (FERDA), Preliminary List of Species Native Within the Adirondack Park Listed Alphabetically by Scientific Name and Sorted by Habit, Vascular Plant Species of the Forest Ecology Research and Demonstration Area, Paul Smiths, New York, Changes in Abundance of Vascular Plants under Varying Silvicultural Systems at the Forest Ecosystem Research and Demonstration Area, Paul Smiths, New York, American Wildlife and Plants: A Guide to Wildlife Food Habits, Lake Colby Railroad Tracks (Saranac Lake), Jackrabbit Trail at River Road (Lake Placid), White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus), List of Adirondack Amphibians and Reptiles, There is one other tree found in the Adirondacks in the genus, The oval leaves of the Black Cherry contrast sharply with the lobed leaves ofÂ, The scaly, dark bark of the mature Black Cherry is very different from that of the smooth, gray bark of the matureÂ. Native Plant Trust. Black Cherry Prunus serotina Ehrh. Black Cherries are rather uncommon in the mountainous portions of the High Peaks region, but are more frequently seen in late successional forests at lower elevations. The twigs of Prunus serotina are reddish-brown in color and thin, with terminal end buds that have glossy reddish and greenish scales. 104-105, 323-324. Gil Nelson, Christopher J. Earle, and Richard Spellenberg. Trees of Eastern North America (Princeton : Princeton University Press, 2014), pp. He has over 15 years experience writing for several Fortune 500 companies. The tree is also known as Wild Cherry, Wild Black Cherry, Mountain Black Cherry, and Rum Cherry. Michael Kudish. Paul Smiths Flora II: Additional Vascular Plants; Bryophytes (Mosses and Liverworts); Soils and Vegetation; Local Forest History (Paul Smith's College, 1981), pp. Cherry a beautiful wood that is commonly used to make furniture and wood flooring. Black cherry trees native to Indiana produce a red-black fruit that is a natural food source for wildlife. The lines running through the leaves should be mostly straight and not overly curly, in which case it could be a buckthorn tree. The crown of the tree is fairly dense. After blooming, each flower is replaced by a small, round, fleshy drupe that is green at immaturity, but darkens to dark red, and eventually purple-black when ripe. When wilted, the leaves can be poisonous. This often makes the leaves appear to alternate on the stem. Fall colors range from yellow-green to yellow, red and orange.  Retrieved 26 January 2017. The edible fruit, which ripens in July and August in the Adirondack Mountains, occurs in dropping clusters. Trees, Shrubs, and Wildflowers of Eastern North America (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1992), pp. 166-167. The black cherry tree is a native deciduous plant to North America and is the largest of the wild cherries. This tree is mature, as noted by the bark's reddish brown, rough, and lightly upturned plates. The showy white flowers appear as pendulous clusters in early spring followed by dark, pea-sized fruits in late summer. Once flowered, the flowers appear as small, about ½" across, and consist of 5 white obovately shaped petals, 5 green sepals, 15-22 stamens, and a central pistil with a flattened stigma on each individual flower. 2019. Mature bark looses its sheen but stays smoother without the typical deep bark grooves. Research Note NE-380, p. 5. Subscription Web Site. Updated 10.23.2006, p. 7. 506-507. Second Edition (March 2014), pp. 102, 121, 122, 122-123. The wood is rich and reddish-brown, highly valued for use as hardwood in North America.