Black Cherry

Common Name: Black Cherry

Specific Name: Prunus serotina

Known Occurrence at Taylor Point:

Map Areas: Cliffs 2A, Cliffs 2D, Cliffs 2F, Cliffs 2H, Woodland 3A, Woodland 3B, Woodland 3C, Bridge 4A

Category: Native Tree

Ecological Considerations:

Prunus serotina, commonly called Black Cherry, is a 25 – 110 foot tall deciduous tree, distinctly conical in youth. When open-grown it becomes oval-headed with spreading, pendulous limbs and arching branches. Crowded trees grow tall and slender. Black Cherry leaves are shiny on the upper surface; the leaf blade is oblong with a long pointed tip and tapering base; leaf margins are finely serrate. White flowers are held in drooping racemes after the glossy leaves have emerged. The dark red fruit changes to black from August through October. Fall foliage is yellow.

Black knot, a native disease caused by the fungus Apiosporina morbosa is common on black cherry. It causes elongated rough black swellings several times the diameter of the normal stem.

Map areas where this plant can be used for revegetation:

Woodlands 3A, Woodlands 3B, Woodlands 3C

Propagation Mechanisms/Strategies for Encouraging its Establishment:

Black cherry is a shade-intolerant species that primarily occurs in successional vegetation or in forest openings as well as in old fields and along fence rows. It usually occurs as scattered individuals in various types of mesic woods and second-growth hardwood forests; at elevations of 0-1520 meters. Black cherry is classed as intolerant of shade. Although black cherry seedlings are common under uncut stands and survive for 3 to 5 years, they do not live for extended periods or move up into larger size classes without moderate to heavy opening of the overstory canopy.

Best Planting Practices/Options and Pros and Cons of Options:

Black Cherry grows in well-drained soils with a pH preference for Eastern Black Cherry of neutral to acidic.

Key Issues Regarding its Ecology ( e.g. Which Invasives Threaten it, What Conditions Favor it):

The thin bark of black cherry makes it highly susceptible to girdling.

Associated Ecological Benefits:

Black Cherry fruits are important food for numerous species of passerine birds, game birds, and mammals, including the red fox, black bear, raccoon, opossum, squirrels, and rabbits. Black Cherry trees are a larval host for Tiger Swallowtail and Red-Spotted Purple Butterflies as well as the Cecropia Moth.

Availability of Locally Sourced Seeds and Plants:

Additional Photos