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Black cherry

Prunus serotina

Also called American bird cherry, Rum cherry, black cherry, Rum Cherry, Wild Black Cherry, Wild Cherry, Black Chokecherry

Black cherry is a fast-growing North American deciduous tree or shrub, grown mainly for its valued timber and wildlife fruit rather than as a garden ornamental. It needs full sun and deep, well-drained soil, and it is not closely related to cultivated sweet or sour cherries.

Family: Rosaceae (Rose family)
Grows as: Tree, Shrub
Light: Full sun, Part shade
Water: Water deeply during dry spells in the first few years, then rely mostly on rainfall.
Soil: Deep, moist, well-drained loam; tolerates a range of soils.
Temperature: Hardy in cold winters; suited to temperate climates, with cold-hardiness across much of North America and Europe.
How easy: Easy
Safety: Toxic: Leaves, twigs, bark and seeds (pits) contain cyanogenic compounds that release cyanide when damaged or chewed; the ripe fruit flesh is edible but the pits are not.. Toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA).
Edible: Yes, some parts
Native range: W. Canada to NW. U.S.A., E. Canada to Guatemala
Climate: temperate

About

Prunus serotina, commonly called black cherry, wild black cherry, rum cherry, or mountain black cherry, is a New World deciduous tree or shrub in the rose family, Rosaceae. Despite its common names, it is not very closely related to commonly cultivated cherries.

Where it grows

Prunus serotina is widespread and common in North America and Central America. Prunus serotina subsp. capuli was cultivated in Central and South America well before European contact.

Uses

Known as capolcuahuitl in Nahuatl (the source of the capuli epithet), it was an important food in pre-Columbian Mexico. Edible raw, the fruit is also made into jelly, and the juice can be used as a drink mixer, hence the common name 'rum cherry'.

Other Prunus plants

Prunus adenopoda · Red stinkwood · Prunus aitchisonii · Alabama cherry · Prunus alaica · Allegheny plum · American plum · Prunus amplifolia · Almond · Desert peach · Chickasaw plum · Prunus annularis

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Prunus serotina by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.

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