{"slug":"prunus-serotina","scientific_name":"Prunus serotina","common_names":["Black cherry","Wild black cherry","Rum cherry"],"family":"Rosaceae","type":"broadleaf_deciduous","mature_height_m":18,"mature_spread_m":10,"growth_rate":"fast","lifespan_years":150,"hardiness_zones":[3,9],"sun":"full_partial","water":"medium","soil":"Moist, well-drained loam, acid to neutral; tolerates dry and alkaline sites but not wet ground","native_range":"Widespread across eastern and central North America from Nova Scotia and Ontario through the eastern and midwestern United States south to Texas, Mexico and Guatemala.","description":"A fast, narrow-crowned tree with shiny young bark marked by horizontal lenticels that matures into dark, scaly plates like burnt cornflakes. Drooping clusters of fragrant white flowers in spring are followed by small purple-black cherries that birds strip in late summer; leaves turn yellow to orange. It seeds itself along fences and edges, its branches break in ice, and its wilted leaves are poisonous to livestock, so it suits woodland edges and naturalized areas rather than sidewalks.","care":"Transplants well into full sun and well-drained soil; keep out of wet sites. Prune to remove storm-damaged limbs in late winter. It is prone to black knot, eastern tent caterpillar, fall webworm, aphids and borers; remove black-knot galls promptly.","benefits":["fast_canopy","flowers","wildlife","birds","pollinators","edible","fall_color","salt_tolerant"],"uses":["yard_shade","hedgerow","timber","reforestation","food"],"cautions":["toxic_parts","messy_fruit","weak_wood","pest_prone","invasive_elsewhere"],"image_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Amerikaanse_vogelkers_Prunus_serotina_closeup.jpg","image_credit":"Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons","sources":["https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/prunus-serotina/","https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/black-cherry/","https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/PRSE2","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_serotina"],"data_note":null,"updated_at":"2026-11-08T01:00:46.205Z","page_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/prunus-serotina","markdown_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/prunus-serotina.md","regions":[{"country":"CA","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":"Native to Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.","source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/PRSE2"},{"country":"US","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":"Native across the eastern and central US and into the Southwest (more than 15 states).","source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/PRSE2"},{"country":"US","region":"GA","locality":"Atlanta","status":"recommended","note":"On the Trees Atlanta Top 50 Atlanta Trees list","source_url":"https://treesatlanta.org/resources/50-atlanta-trees/"},{"country":"US","region":"TX","locality":"Houston","status":"recommended","note":"On the City of Houston Planning and Development Department Street Tree List","source_url":"https://www.houstontx.gov/planning/DevelopRegs/StreetTree_files/StreetTree.xlsx"}],"license":"CC-BY-4.0"}