CHOKE CHERM 



/'/ innis virginiana I '.. 



The Plum Family 



MUPACEAI 



Habit and Habitat: A large shrub or often a small tree, L5-25 feet 



high, with a trunk diameter <>f .".-G inches, and the few crooked branches 

 and twigs forming a spreading or rounded crown, seldom a beautiful n 



prefers tlu- moist, rich loam of woodlands and river-banks, but is also 

 common in drier sites and in sandy and rooky soils where it sometimes 



forms dense patch b, 



Leaves and Buds: The leaves are alternate, simple, 2-1 inches long, 

 Pj-2 inches broad, oblong or oval, abruptly pointed at the tip, finely 

 and sharply serrate, the teeth pointing forward, not turned in, dull, dark 



green above, paler beneath, smooth on both sides; petioles short, slender, 



glandular. Terminal bud 14-V6 inch long, conical, pointed; scales rounded 

 at the tip. light brown, smooth. Lateral buds the same, or somewhat 

 smaller and divergent in early spring 



Flowers and Fruits: Flowers out in May or early June when the 

 leaves are about half grown, perfect, V2 inch wide, borne on short slender 

 pedicels in several-flowered clusters, 2-1 inches long:, spreading or droop- 

 ing; calyx cup-shaped, 5-lobed; petals 5, white, borne on the rim of the 

 ealvx cup; stamens many, also on the calyx cup; ovary blunt, club-shaped. 

 Fruit maturing; after mid-summer, a spherical, dark red. yellow or 

 black cherry, very astringent, but edible; stone globular. 



Hark, Twigs and Wood: Twigs greenish or brown at first, becoming 

 reddish-brown or dark brown, thin, shiny, dark brown or almost black 

 on the main trunk, fissured and sometimes more or less scaly. The 

 -wood is heavy, hard, close-grained, weak, light to dark brown, with thick, 

 lighter colored sapwood, seldom used except for fuel. 



Distri ution in the State: This tree is found in nearly all portions 

 of eastern United States and is reported as far west as Texas and 

 Colorado. It is abundant in the Missouri woods from which it has 

 entered the state and followed the Missouri river and its tributaries 

 from the southeastern corner northward and westward as far as Sarpy 

 county and Lancaster county, and has also migrated up the Republi< 

 valley to Franklin county. This species is considerably more common 

 than the wild black cherry although the two are found in about the 

 same area- ( »f the state. Map 



Remarks: The choke cherry is not as desirable a tree as the wild 

 black cherry because it is not so large and the fruits are not so good. 

 The Nebraska Indians used the fruits of the choke cherry as an article 

 of diet and many of the earlier white settlers in the state were also 

 tflad to have these fruits in a land which was very poor in native wild 



fruits. /' melanoearpa is a closely related Bpeciea which 



found in many parts of the stat<\ sometimes becoming a small tree, and 

 which may be easily confused with this specie-;. Botanists have juggled 

 the scientific names of our native cherrries and plums considerably in 

 the past few years, but I am using tin old nomenclature her 



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