Cherry, Black

This tree is one of the 150 trees initially included in the arboretum to coincide with the campus's 150th anniversary celebration.

Scientific Name:
Prunus serotina

Cultivar:

Native to:
Ontario to North Dakota, Texas and Florida

Mature Height and Width:
50-60 feet by 30-50 feet, can reach 100 feet high

Additional Notes:
Young black cherry trees sometimes seem to appear out of nowhere in recently harvested forests.  In many instances, black cherry seeds remain dormant in the forest floor, even after their parents have been gone for decades.  They then grow into trees once the canopy has been removed.  Despite active attempts to remove black cherry from wooded pasture (wilted leaves become rich in cyanide and can poison livestock) this species is a common, but rarely dominant component of our young deciduous forests.