# Black cherry (Prunus serotina)

> 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.

Source: https://treerm.org/trees/prunus-serotina · Updated 2026-11-08 · License CC BY 4.0

## Facts

- Also called: Wild black cherry, Rum cherry
- Family: Rosaceae
- Type: Broadleaf, drops leaves
- Mature height: 18 m; spread 10 m
- Growth: Fast growing; lives about 150 years
- USDA hardiness zones: 3 to 9
- Light: Sun or part shade
- Water: Moderate water
- 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.

**Benefits:** Fast canopy, Flowers, Wildlife, Birds, Pollinators, Edible, Fall color, Salt tolerant

**Good for:** Yard shade, Hedgerow, Timber, Reforestation, Food

**Watch out for:** Toxic parts, Messy fruit, Weak wood, Pest prone, Invasive elsewhere

## 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.

## Where it stands

- **Native:** Canada (Native to Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.); United States (Native across the eastern and central US and into the Southwest (more than 15 states).)
- **Recommended:** Atlanta, GA, United States (On the Trees Atlanta Top 50 Atlanta Trees list); Houston, TX, United States (On the City of Houston Planning and Development Department Street Tree List)

## 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