Black Cherry

The flowers are hermaphroditic, meaning they have both male (stamens) and female (pistils) reproductive organs. This feature allows the tree to potentially pollinate itself for reproduction. If you have found this tree between April and May then you are in luck. This is the flowering stage, and you may be able to get a glimpse of the dense white pyramidal clusters that develop. After pollination, flowers mature into dark reddish-purple fruits, called drupes, which is where the name “black cherry” comes from. The fruits make the perfect snack for the local birds and bears who also aid in dispersal of the seeds. The black cherry tree ages about 10 years until it begins producing seeds, and does not stop until it is about 100 years old. Seeds of the black cherry require an after-ripening period of several months, which increases the germination potential of the seeds. If all goes to plan, it will take about 4 years before germination occurs. At the time of germination, the endosperm (tissue inside the seed) will swell, breaking the stony seed into two halves and allowing the embry-onic leaves and roots to emerge.

In the first decade of its life, the bark of the black cherry tree is brown, thin and smooth with bands scattered about. You may be able to see this on new forming branches! However, as the tree matures, it becomes a darker gray/black color and the bark becomes scale-like, getting rougher with age. This species is deciduous, meaning it loses its leaves seasonally. The leaves of the black cherry tree are 2-6 inches long and 1-2 inches in width. They are green throughout spring and summer but turn yellow to red in the fall, before they drop from the tree.

This species is interesting because it is a cyanogenic plant, the seeds, bark, and foliage of Prunus serotina contain cyanogenic glycosides, which have the ability to be converted into cyanide. This is a defense mechanism used to protect the tree from predators, for the cyanide is only released when the cell wall is broken. This is also the cause of the bitter almond smell that comes from the inner bark. Though this trait is beneficial to the plant, in some cases cyanogenic properties create problems. One issue is that when these trees die and fall, they have the potential to poison animals, such as livestock, that may inhabit that area. Nevertheless, the prunus serotina is a beautiful addition to Rowan’s campus. Thank you so much for visiting, and if you would like to see more of the Rosaceae members then I encourage you to look for the purple leaf plum located nearby.