Black Cherry Tree

Description

Botanical Name:  Prunus serotina

Common Name:  Black Cherry, Wild Black Cherry, Wild Rum Cherry, Eastern Black Cherry

Description:  This beautiful Florida native tree is the #2 keystone species and a pioneer species.

Black Cherry is considered to be our second best keystone species only behind our native oaks. Why, you ask? Well, because the small red or black fruits are a favorite food of more than 40 species of birds along with many mammals. It is the host plant for more than 450 species of butterflies and moths for the areas it is native to. Yes, the 450 is correct. According to the Native Wildlife Federation’s website, in our area it is a host plant for 247 different butterflies and moths including Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Coral Hairstreak, White Furcula, Chokecherry, Elm Sphinx, Hummingbird Clearwing, Clymene Moth, Interrupted Dagger Moth, Small-Eyed Sphinx, Tuliptree Silkmoth, Laurel Sphinx,  and Red-Spotted Purple Butterfly. It also has special value to our native bees. Honey bees are attracted to the nectar in its flowers.

It’s known as a pioneer species because it’s one of the first trees to emerge after disturbance, and uses its plentiful seed production to establish rapidly in recently disturbed habitats as well as across floodplains and forests. 

This deciduous, fast growing tree blooms gorgeous white, fragrant flowers in the spring. It has a life span of about 50 years. Can grow in sun, part sun, or part shade areas of your garden. Likes loam or sandy soil with an acidic pH. Very drought tolerant after becoming established. Its native habitat is in dry sites. upland mixed forest, upland hardwood forest, secondary woods, old fields, sandhill, and ruderal areas. It typically grows 50 – 80 feet tall, with very old specimens reaching up to 100 feet tall. It has a narrow columnar to rounded crown. Young trees develop a long tap root which makes transplanting difficult. This tree does like to reseed itself, which means it can also be grown as a beautiful hedge or thicket.

The flowers bloom in slender pendulous clusters (racemes to 6” long). They are followed by drooping clusters of small red cherries that ripen in late summer to dark purple-black. Narrow oblong-ovate to lanceolate, glossy green leaves (to 5” long) have acuminate tips and serrate margins. Foliage turns attractive shades of yellow and rose in fall. Mature trees develop dark scaly bark.

***IMPORTANT NOTE ON THE CHERRIES:  The cherries can be eaten raw, but they must be pitted because the seeds are poisonous. The bark, roots, leaves, and twigs contain concentrations of toxic cyanogenic compounds, hence the noticeable bitter almond aroma of the inner bark. Leaves and twigs are highly poisonous to livestock, pets, and humans if eaten.***

The cherries can be used to make jams, jellies, and pies. They have also been used to flavor liquors such as brandy and whiskey, and syrups.

Hard, reddish-brown wood takes a fine polish and is commercially valued for use in a large number of products such as furniture, veneers, cabinets, interior paneling, gun stocks, instrument/tool handles and musical instruments.

Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. It has a moderate tolerance to salty wind and may get some salt spray.

This plant in 3-gallon containers is 2 – 4 feet tall.

This plant in 7-gallon containers is 4 – 7 feet tall.

Plant Lore:  Genus name from Latin means plum or cherry tree. Specific epithet comes from the Latin word for “late” in reference to the late flowering and fruiting of this cherry in comparison to other cherries. Native Americans used the black cherry for medicinal purposes. The tree bark was ground into the consistency of powder and brewed to concoct a tea-like drink. Medicines containing black cherry were administered for a variety of respiratory illnesses and used to treat excessive bleeding. The tree was referred to as a rum cherry tree back when Appalachian pioneers used the fruits to flavor their brandy or rum. That drink was called a cherry bounce.

Florida Hardiness Zones 8 – 9