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Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)

[ Trees > Hardwoods . . . ]      Forest Type: Various

Range

Producing 1/2-inch cherries that are black when mature; leaves shaped like pointed ovals, with finely toothed edges; bark thin and reddish brown when young, dark gray and broken into scaly plates when mature.

by Michael Kuo

Habitat: Avid colonizer of old fields and waste areas; in mature forests usually mixed with other trees.

Stature: 40-80 feet high; trunk to 3 feet in diameter; when mature featuring a spreading crown.

Leaves: 2-6 inches long; simple; alternate; oval with pointed ends; edges finely toothed with teeth that point slightly inward; dark green and shiny above; paler green below, often with fine reddish brown hairs along the middle vein.

Bark: When young papery and reddish brown, with horizontal, corky blisters; when mature dark gray to nearly black, broken into scaly plates.

Fruit: A small, round cherry about 1/2 inch across; bright red becoming black; nested in the cup-like remains of the flower.


(References consulted)

 		 

Prunus serotina

Prunus serotina

Prunus serotina

Prunus serotina

Prunus serotina



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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2010, November). Black cherry (Prunus serotina). Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/trees/prunus_serotina.html