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Common Trees 



WILD BLACK CHERRY 



Prunus serotina, Ehrhart 



THE Wild Black Cherry, also called Wild Cherry, Black 

 Cherry, Rum Cherry, and Cabinet Cherry is the only 

 native cherry that reaches large tree size. It often attains 

 a height of 75 feet and a diameter of 3 feet. 



The leaves are simple, alternate, 2 to 5 inches long, long- 

 pointed, finely toothed 

 along margin, rather thick, 

 shiny on upper surface 

 and paler below. 



The flowers are white, 

 about J4 of an inch across, 

 arranged in spikes 3 to 4 

 inches long. 



The fruit is a purplish- 

 black juicy berry, about 

 one-third of an inch in 

 diameter, grouped in 

 drooping clusters. 



The bark on young 

 trunks is smooth, glossy, 

 reddish-brown marked 

 with conspicuous white, 

 horizontally e 1 o n gated 

 breathing pores, peels off 

 in thin film-like layers ex- 

 posing green inner bark. 

 On old trunks it becomes 



black, rough, breaks up into thick plates. The twigs are 

 smooth, reddish-brown marked with numerous small whit- 

 ish breathing pores. Twigs and inner bark have bitter 

 taste and unpleasant odor. The buds are about H of an inch 

 long, smooth, glossy, reddish-brown, covered with about 4 

 visible scales. 



The wood is moderately heavy, hard, and strong, fine- 

 grained, with reddish-brown heartwood. It is durable and 

 used for furniture, interior finishings, tools, ties, implements 

 and high-class panels. 



The Wild Black Cherry is found from Nova Scotia south 

 to Florida and west to Kansas and Texas. It is generally 

 distributed throughout Ohio. In the hilly section in the 

 southeastern part of the State it usually occurs on eastern 

 and northern exposures. Rich bottom-lands and moist hill- 

 sides are its favorite home. We need its fine wood, the birds 

 eat its fruit, and the bees frequent its flowers. The closely 

 related Choke Cherry also occurs throughout Ohio. 



WILD BLACK CHERRY 

 One-fourth natural size. 



