Plantae>Magnoliophyta>Magnoliopsida>Rosales>Rosaceae>Prunus serotina Ehrhart var. serotina
Black Cherry is a common, weedy, early-successional tree. The leaves release the distinctive cherry-like aroma of cyanide when crushed. Healthy leaves contain prunasin, which is converted to hydrogen cyanide (HCN) when the leaves are crushed. This highly toxic substance acts as a defense mechanism against herbivores. | |
Black Cherry leaves are sometimes more elongate, approaching those of Pin Cherry (Prunus pensylvanica), which is found at relatively high elevations in the mountains. Alleghany Co., NC 9/23/06. | |
Black Cherry produces masses of white flowers in spring. The specific epithet serotina means "late" - it flowers later that other native cherries. Chatham Co., NC 4/19/2003. | |
Flower detail. Flowers open a bit later at higher elevations, such as here. Franklin, Macon Co., NC 5/13/06. |
Flowers about to open. Orange Co., NC 4/4/09. |
Flowers just beginning to develop. Carroll Co., VA 4/10/2011. |
The flowers are followed by copious amounts of small cherries in early summer, which are quickly eaten and spread by birds. Scotland Co., NC 7/1/07. | |
Clarendon Co., SC 6/14/07. |
The cherries are small, black when ripe, and relatively tasteless, neither sweet nor sour. Durham Co., NC 7/4/03. | |
Alleghany Co., NC 9/23/06. | |
The bark is smooth when young, with horizontally elongated lenticels. | |
At this stage, the Sweet Birch (Betula lenta) has similar bark. Alleghany Co., NC 9/23/06. | |
The bark breaks into upturned plates when older. Though Black Cherry can become a fairly large tree in the Appalachian Mountains, in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain it is very susceptible to disease and tends to be small and short-lived. |
Bark of a large tree. Haywood Co., NC 5/10/08. |
More information:
Trees of Alabama and the Southeast
NC State Fact Sheet
Silvics Manual
Virginia Tech Dendrology
Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina
cwcook@duke.eduAll photographs and text ©2012 by Will Cook unless otherwise indicated. All rights reserved.