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Prunus serotina, commonly called black cherry, World Economic Plants: A Standard Reference, Second Edition. CRC Press; 19 April 2016. . p. 833–. wild black cherry, rum cherry, or mountain black cherry, is a deciduous tree or shrub in the rose family Rosaceae. Despite its common names, it is not very closely related to commonly cultivated cherries. It is found in the Americas.
For about its first decade the bark of a black cherry tree is thin, smooth, and banded, resembling a birch. A mature tree has very broken, dark gray to black bark. The leaves are long and shiny, resembling a sourwood's. An almond-like odour is released when a young twig is scratched and held close to the nose, revealing minute amounts of cyanide compounds produced and stored by the plant as a defense mechanism against .
The foliage, particularly when wilted, also contains cyanogenic glycosides, which convert to hydrogen cyanide if eaten by animals. Farmers are recommended to remove any trees that fall in a field containing livestock, because the wilted leaves could poison the animals. Removal is not always practical, though, because these trees often grow in very large numbers on farms, taking advantage of the light brought about by mowing and grazing. Entire can be lined with this poisonous tree, making it difficult to monitor all the branches falling into the grazing area. Black cherry is a leading cause of livestock illness, and grazing animals' access to it should be limited.
P. serotina hosts the caterpillars of more than 450 species of butterflies and moths, including those of the Papilio glaucus, cherry gall azure ( Celastrina serotina), viceroy ( Limenitis archippus), and red-spotted purple/white admiral ( Limenitis arthemis) butterflies and the cecropia ( Hyalophora cecropia), promethea ( Callosamia promethea), polyphemus ( Antheraea polyphemus), Paonias myops, wild cherry sphinx ( Sphinx drupiferarum), banded tussock ( Halysidota tessellaris), spotted apatelodes ( Apatelodes torrefacta), and band-edged prominent moths.Multiple sources:
Known as capolcuahuitl in Nahuatl (the source of the capuli epithet), it was an important food in pre-Columbian Mexico. Native Americans ate the fruit. 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'.
Prunus serotina timber is valuable; perhaps the premier cabinetry timber of the U.S., traded as "cherry". High quality cherry timber is known for its strong orange hues, tight grain and high price. Low-quality wood, as well as the sap wood, can be more tan. Its density when dried is around . Wood Database: Black Cherry. Accessed September 16, 2024.
Prunus serotina was widely introduced into Western and Central Europe as an ornamental tree in the mid-20th century,Starfinger U. 1997. Introduction and naturalization of Prunus serotina in Central Europe. In: "Plant Invasions: Studies from North America and Europe" (eds by J.H. Brock, M. Wade, P.Pysek, D. Green). Backhuys Publ. Leiden: 161-171. where it has become locally naturalized. It has acted as an invasive species there, negatively affecting forest community biodiversity and regeneration.Stypiński P. 1979. Stanowiska czeremchy amerykańskiej Padus serotina (Ehrh.) Borkh. w lasach państwowych Pojezierza Mazurskiego. Rocznik dendrologiczny (in Polish). 32: 191-204.
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Categories: Bird Cherries, Serotina, Trees Of Northern America, Trees Of Guatemala, Flora Of The Appalachian Mountains, Flora Of The United States, Plants Described In 1784, Taxa Named By Jakob Friedrich Ehrhart, Flora Of The Sierra Madre Occidental, Flora Of The Sierra Madre Oriental, Flora Of The Sierra Madre Del Sur, Flora Of The Trans-mexican Volcanic Belt, Flora Of The Sierra Madre De Oaxaca
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