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Black Cherry

Researched by Rachel Ray

An image of the black cherry treeSpecies: Prunus serotina
Common name:  Black Cherry Tree
Family:  Rosaceae (Rose Family)
Clade:  Angiosperms (flowering seed plants)

Coordinates:  39.71180301, -75.12312836

Tree Tag: 986 An icon used to show more information.
A tag using this number is placed near the tree.

 

Prunus serotina, the black cherry tree, is native to the eastern United States and can grow between 1.5 and 2.5 feet per year, reaching heights of up to 80 feet. As the tree ages, branches begin to arch, making them weaker and more prone to damage, but the species can live for more than 250 years.

Despite its common name, Prunus serotina is not closely related to other cherry species like the sweet cherry, sour cherry, and Japanese flowering cherry. It stands apart from these species due to its racemose inflorescences or unbranched and clustered flower arrangement.

Its flowers are hermaphroditic, meaning they have male (stamens) and female (pistils) reproductive organs, enabling the tree to pollinate itself for reproduction. Black cherry trees produce clusters of dense, white pyramidal flowers between April and May. After pollination, flowers mature into dark reddish-purple fruits called drupes, where the name “black cherry” comes from. The fruits feed birds and bears, who aid in dispersing the seeds. Read More

An Illustration of a Black Cherry Leaf.
An image of the black cherry tree in the Rowan University Arboretum, Glassboro New Jersey.
An image of autumn black cherry tree leaf from the Rowan University Arboretum.
An image of the black cherry tree trunk in the Rowan University Arboretum, Glassboro New Jersey.
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An image of Rowan University student, Rachel Ray with her tree.
An image of the black cherry tree trunk in the Rowan University Arboretum, Glassboro New Jersey.
An image of a black cherry tree leaf in the Rowan University Arboretum, Glassboro New Jersey.
An image of a black cherry tree leaf in the Rowan University Arboretum, Glassboro New Jersey.
An image of the black cherry tree in the Rowan University Arboretum, Glassboro New Jersey.
An image of a black cherry new branch in the Rowan University Arboretum, Glassboro New Jersey.
An image of the black cherry tree trunk in the Rowan University Arboretum.
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An image of a black cherry tree bark in the Rowan University Arboretum, Glassboro New Jersey.
An image of a black cherry tree bark in the Rowan University Arboretum, Glassboro New Jersey.
An image of a black cherry new branch in the Rowan University Arboretum, Glassboro New Jersey.
An image of a black cherry branches in the Rowan University Arboretum, Glassboro New Jersey.
An image of the black cherry leaves and leaf buds in the Rowan University Arboretum, Glassboro New Jersey.
An image of the black cherry leaves and leaf buds in the Rowan University Arboretum, Glassboro New Jersey.

[Show slideshow]
Campus Species Map
Researcher’s Biography

Photo of Rachel RayRachel Ray

Rachel Ray graduated with a degree in biological sciences in 2022.

 

 

 

 

Suggested Citation:

Last, First. (2022, Dec). Black Cherry. Rowan University Arboretum. https://arboretum.rowan.edu/trees/black-cherry/

Questions to Explore

 

  • How were black cherry trees used by Native Americans?
  • How do black cherry trees impact the environment?
  • What threats do black cherry trees face, and why?
  • How were black cherry trees used in Colonial South Jersey?
  • How does the black cherry tree change as it ages

References

Black cherry. Missouri Department of Conservation. (n.d.). | Link

Larcenaire, Wang, F., Holásková, I., Turcotte, R., Gutensohn, M., & Park, Y.-L. (2021). Characterization of the Insect Assemblage and Associated Floral Volatiles of Black Cherry (Prunus serotina). Plants (Basel), 10(10), 2195–. | Link

Marquis, D. A. (n.d.). Black Cherry. Prunus serotina Ehrh. | Link

Pairon, Chabrerie, O., Casado, C. M., & Jacquemart, A.-L. (2006). Sexual regeneration traits linked to black cherry ( Prunus serotina Ehrh.) invasiveness. Acta Oecologica (Montrouge), 30(2), 238–247. | Link

Pairon, Petitpierre, B., Campbell, M., Guisan, A., Broennimann, O., Baret, P. V., Jacquemart, A.-L., & Besnard, G. (2010). Multiple introductions boosted genetic diversity in the invasive range of black cherry (Prunus serotina; Rosaceae). Annals of Botany, 105(6), 881–890. | Link

Prunus serotina. Prunus serotina (Black Cherry, Wild Cherry, Wild Rum Cherry) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. (n.d.). | Link.

 

Rowan University Resources

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Modeling seed dispersal of black cherry, an invasive forest tree: how microsatellites may help | Link

Light environment alters ozone uptake per net photosythetic rate in black cherry trees | Link

Physiology, morphology, and ozone uptake of leaves of black cherry seedlings, saplings, and canopy trees | Link

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