NC Native Plant Society:
Plant Details
Prunus serotina var. serotina
Wild Black Cherry, Wild Cherry, Cabinet Cherry, Rum Cherry
Scientific Name: |
Prunus serotina var. serotina |
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Genus: |
Prunus |
Species Epithet: |
serotina |
Common Name: |
Wild Black Cherry, Wild Cherry, Cabinet Cherry, Rum Cherry |
Plant Type |
Tree |
Life Cycle |
Perennial |
Plant Family |
Rosaceae (Rose Family) |
Native/Alien: |
NC Native |
Size: |
12-36 ft., 36-72 ft., 72-100 ft. |
Bloom Color(s): |
White |
Light: |
Sun - 6 or more hours of sun per day, Part Shade - 2 to 6 hours of sun per day |
Soil Moisture: |
Dry, Moist |
Bloom Time: |
April, May |
Growing Area: |
Mountains, Piedmont, Coastal Plain |
Habitat Description: |
“Rich coves, bottomlands, northern hardwood forests, and in a wide variety of lower elevation habitats from dry to mesic, and weedy in fencerows. ...In the Piedmont and Coastal Plain, P. serotina is generally a small, scrubby tree of fencerows and an understory tree in forests and woodlands, but in the Mountains reaching large sizes and full canopy stature”(Weakley 2015). Common throughout NC. |
Leaf Arrangement: |
Alternate |
Leaf Retention: |
Deciduous |
Leaf Type: |
Leaves veined, not needle-like or scale-like |
Leaf Form: |
Simple |
Life Cycle: |
Perennial |
Wildlife Value: |
Highest Wildlife Value |
Landscape Value: |
Highly Recommended and Available |
State Rank: |
S5: Secure (*Key) |
Global Rank: |
G_T_: Subspecies or Variety Rank (add status to NOTES section) (*Key) |
Notes: |
"A showy tree with handsome trunk and branches, attractive foliage, especially in fall, and ornamental blooms and fruit. Easy to grow...Fruit consumed by 33 species of birds and many mammals. Attracts: Birds , Butterflies. Larval Host: Eastern tiger swallowtail, Cherry Gall Azure, Viceroy, Columbia Silkmoth, Promethea Moth, Small-eyed Sphinx Moth, Wild Cherry Sphinx Moth, Banded Tussock Moth, Band-edged Prominent, Spotted Apatelodes." Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center |
Jack Spruill, Hampstead, April 13, 2008 Jack Spruill notes the acrid smell and bitter taste of young tree bark. The bark and wilted leaves contain hydrocyanic acid, toxic to pets and livestock in large amounts (but not to deer!) |
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Jack Spruill, Hampstead, April 16, 2008 Black Cherry is the largest of our native cherries, reaching its full height in the mountains. An adaptable tree, it grows in woodlands, pastures and fencerows. |
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Jack Spruill, Hampstead, June 28, 2009 |
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Bettina Darveaux |
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Bettina Darveaux |
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Bettina Darveaux |
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Bettina Darveaux |
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Links: |
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