Black Cherry

Rosaceae

LIFE FORM: Tree

NATIVITY: Eastern North America

VEGETATIVE CHARACTERISTICS:

40 to 60 feet tall; simple, lanceolate leaves are alternate, glossy, and dark green; aromatic bark smells of bitter almonds; prominent white lenticels on rough bark.

FLOWERS:

Showy racemes of small white flowers in late spring.

FRUIT/DISPERSAL AGENTS:

Purple to black fleshy drupe, about one centimeter in diameter; seeds dispersed by birds in late summer; reprouts readily from base following injury.

ECOLOGICAL PREFERENCE:

Seedlings drought tolerant. Prefers minimally maintained public parks and open space; woodlands that develop on abandoned open space; riverbanks; unmowed highway banks and median strips with frequent salt applications.

ENVIRONMENTAL FUNCTION:

Heat reduction; drought tolerance on compacted soils; food and/or habitat for wildlife; erosion control on slopes.

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:

Fruit can be used to make jelly and wine; wood is prized for furniture-making; powdered bark used for cough medicine; cyanide poisoning can cause death in livestock that eat the leaves.