Black Cherry

Black Cherry     (Wild Cherry, Rum Cherry)     Prunus serotina Ehrh.

Mature Size: 60 to 100 feet in height, 1 to 4 feet in diameter

Form: Long, clear trunk and oblong crown.  

Where to Find Them: 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.

Fruit: Round, 1⁄3 inch in diameter, dark purple to almost black when ripe; maturing in summer.

Wildlife Uses: The bitter, fleashy fruits is an important food source for many songbirds and are a favorite of the robin, brown thrasher, cedar waxwing and pileated woodpecker.

Bark: 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.