Smithsonian Gardens
Smithsonian Gardens
Smithsonian Gardens
Plant Explorer
Search
Map
Names
Features
Tours
Taxon
English
Taxon
Prunus serotina
1 / 29
Next
Common name:
Wild Black Cherry, Black Cherry, Mountain Black Cherry, Wild Cherry, Rum Cherry
Family:
Rosaceae (Rose)
Distribution:
Central to E US
Habitat:
Mesic woods and second-growth hardwood forests, old fields, along fences
Hardiness:
-40 - 30 F
Life form:
Deciduous tree
Fall color:
Yellow, red
Attracts:
Bees; birds; butterflies
Foliage characteristics:
Simple, alternate, oblong to ovate leaves with serrulate margins. 4-8" long.
Fruit characteristics:
Drooping clusters of purple to black drupes. .3" diameter. Ripen in June.
Bloom Time:
April to May
Bark characteristics:
Brown; fissured and scaly on larger trees.
Average height:
50-80'
Structure:
Columnar to rounded
Bloom characteristics:
White flowers in slender, pendulous clusters (racemes) appear with foliage in spring. Clusters can be up to 6" long.
Medicinal/pharmaceutical:
Some Native Americans used parts of the tree to treat coughs and as a cold remedy.
Ethnobotanical uses:
Highly valued in woodworking for it beautiful wood. Fruit has been used to flavor rum and brandy, and used in wine and jelly.
Description:
Highly valued by woodworkers, wild black cherry has some of the most beautiful wood in North America. The inner bark of the wild black cherry tree was also used by Native Americans and people of the Appalachians to make a sore throat and cold remedy.
Links:
Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder
•
US Forest Service Fact Sheet
•
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Locations
1:
Cultural Resource Center
(CRC)
• Accession: 2019-0257*A • Provenance: From a cultivated plant not of known wild origin
2:
Cultural Resource Center
(CRC)
• Accession: 2019-0298*A • Provenance: Collected directly from the wild; origin known
3:
Cultural Resource Center
(CRC)
• Accession: 2019-0312*A • Provenance: Collected directly from the wild; origin known
4:
Cultural Resource Center
(CRC)
• Accession: 2020-0343*A • Provenance: From a cultivated plant not of known wild origin
5:
National Museum of Natural History
(NMNH)
• Accession: 2011-1066*A
Area
Individual