Prunus serotina aka Black Cherry

Black cherry, Prunus serotina, is a deciduous tree in the rose family. It grows wild from eastern Canada south through the eastern United States. Its range also reaches Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and the mountains of Mexico and Guatemala. It has escaped from gardens in Europe and now grows wild in some places. Other names include rum cherry and wild black cherry.

In gardens it usually reaches 50 to 60 feet (15 to 18 metres) tall. Old trees in the wild can top 80 to 90 feet (24 to 27 metres). The spread runs from about 30 to 50 feet (9 to 15 metres). Young trees are conical. With age the crown becomes oval, and the branches droop at the tips. Growth is fast. Young bark is shiny and marked with lenticels. Mature trunks turn dark and break into scaly plates. The slender reddish-brown twigs smell of bitter almonds when scratched.

The glossy, dark green leaves are simple and alternate, with finely toothed edges. They measure about 2 to 6 inches (5 to 15 cm) long. In autumn they turn yellow, sometimes with orange or red tints. Small, fragrant white flowers hang in racemes 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) long. They open with the new leaves, from late April into June. Round drupes about 3/8 inch (9 mm) across follow. They ripen from red to purple-black in late summer. Songbirds, turkeys, quail and deer eat the fruit. The tree also feeds butterfly larvae, including the eastern tiger swallowtail and viceroy.

Black cherry grows best in full sun, though it tolerates part shade. It prefers deep, moist, fertile soil with good drainage. It copes with clay, sand, loam, and acid or alkaline soil. Once its roots spread, it tolerates drought well. It struggles in cramped urban soil. It is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9 and rated H6 in the UK. Its shallow roots dislike soil compaction or disturbance. Craftsmen prize its hard, reddish-brown wood for furniture, cabinets and musical instruments.

The tree has many possible pests. These include tent caterpillars, fall webworm, aphids, cherry lace bug, scale, borers and Japanese beetles. Diseases include leaf spot, dieback, powdery mildew, root rot, fireblight and verticillium wilt. In the UK it may suffer silver leaf, blossom wilt and bacterial canker. Falling fruit stains paving and litters the ground, so site it away from paths. Birds spread the seed widely, and seedlings appear readily.

The ripe fruit is edible but often bitter. People make it into jelly, jam and wine, and use it to flavour rum and brandy. The leaves, stems and seeds contain cyanide compounds and are poisonous. Wilted leaves are the most dangerous, and they can kill horses, dogs, cats and livestock. Discard the pits and never crush them in a blender. Native Americans used the inner bark to treat colds.