Black Cherry
Prunus serotina
Rosaceae
Photo by Placeholder via System Generated • CC0 (2025-05-28)
Description
Black Cherry is a valuable native tree common throughout Buffalo's forests. Its dark bark with horizontal lines (lenticels) is distinctive, and its wood is highly prized for furniture. Birds love the small black cherries that ripen in late summer.
Characteristics
Leaf Type
simple
Leaf Shape
narrow oval with fine teeth and glands
Height
50-80 feet
Bark
dark reddish-brown with horizontal lines, scaly plates
Fruit
small black cherries in drooping clusters
Flowers
white
Identification Tips
- • Dark bark looks like 'burnt potato chips'
- • Horizontal lines (lenticels) on bark
- • Crushed leaves smell like almond extract
- • Fine teeth on leaf edges with tiny glands
- • Drooping clusters of flowers/fruit
Seasonal Changes
Spring
White flowers in drooping clusters
Summer
Glossy green leaves, cherries ripen to black
Fall
Yellow to orange to red fall color
Winter
Dark scaly bark with horizontal lines visible
Habitat & Growing Conditions
Hardiness Zones
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Soil Preference
varied, well-drained, rich to poor
Sun Requirements
full sun
Image Gallery
Leaves
Photo by Placeholder via System Generated • CC0
Winter
Photo by Placeholder via System Generated • CC0