Prunus serotina

Prunus serotina Ehrh.

by Kumi Isobe, Native Plants of Arizona 2009
Common names: Black cherry, Wild black cherry, Mountain black cherry, Rum cherry (1).
Family: Rosaceae.
Synonymy: None
Etymology: Prunus is an ancient Latin name for the plum. The suffix –serotina means flowering late (2, 3) and ripening late (3).

Identification
Growth form: Arborescent, multiple stemmed, medium-sized tree, 60 to 80 ft tall (5).
Stem: Smooth with numerous short, narrow, horizontal lenticels in bark when young, becomes very dark nearly black when older (4). Twigs are slender, reddish brown sometimes covered in gray epidermis. Buds are very small (1/5 inch), covered in several glossy, reddish brown to greenish scales. Leaf scars are small and semicircular with 3 bundle scars (4).
Leaves: Alternate, simple, 2 to 5 inches long, oblong to lance-shaped, with finely toothed margins, teeth often incurved or blunt (5), very small inconspicuous glands are on petiole(4).
Inflorescence/flowers: Small white flowers in pendant racemes (5), 4 to 6 inches long (4). Petals 5, snowy white (5).
Fruit: Dark purple round drupe, almost black when it is ripened. 1/3 inch in diameter with a sweet taste, matures in late summer (4).
Similar species: The leaves has more pairs of side veins than choke cherry (P.virginiana ) (5).

Ecology
Life history: Perennial tree, shrub (1). Deciduous (5).
Native/introduced: Native (1). The largest of the native cherries (6).
Phenology: Flowers May to July, March to April in the Southwest. Fruiting June to October (1).
Distribution: Wide spread in eastern North America, from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Quebec, Canada, Minnesota and North Dakota, southward to Florida and east Texas, west Texas(1) There are disjunct populations in New Mexico, Arizona, in mountains of southern Mexico and Guatemala (7). Known to be highly invasive in forests of Western Europe , and also naturalized in northern South America (1), at elevation to 7500 ft in the southwest (5). In Arizona , found in all counties except La Paz and Yuma (1).

Uses
This species has been harvested for its commercially valuable wood (5), which is used for furniture (6).
Medicinal use: The bark is used for a cold remedy infusion among Native Americans. The Cherokee use the bark as blood purifier and dermatological aid astringent, the Delaware used the bark for diarrhea, and decoction of bark is used for headache. The Chippewa use its root to make a decoction to kill worms (8). The inner bark is used for medicine (6). The Ojibwa applied inner bark for chest pain and soreness by chewing it. The fruit is used for cough medicine to make cough syrup (8).
Food: The Cherokee eat the fruits (8).

Notes: P. serotina attains an age of 150 to 200 years. Because of thin scaly bark, it is severely damaged by surface fire. Eastern tent caterpillars ( Malacosoma americanum) and cherry scallop shell moth ( Hydria prunivorata) are major insect pests for this species (6). Black knot is common native disease caused by the fungus Apiosporina morbosa (7).

References
1. USDA, NRCS. (2009). The PLANTS Database . Retrieved Oct. 2, 2009 , from http://plants.usda.gov .
2. Botanary, the Botanical Dictionary (2009). Retrieved Oct, 2. 2009, from http://davesgarden.com/guides/botanary/
3. Charters, M.L. (2009).California plant names: Latin and Greek Meanings and derivations. A dictionary of Botanical and Biographical Etymology. Retrieved Oct. 5. 2009, from http://www.calflora.net/botanicalnames/
4. Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation database. Retrieved Oct 5, 2009 from http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/DENDROLOGY/SYLLABUS/factsheet.cfm?ID=66
5. Kershner, B., D. Mothews., G. Nelson., & R. Spellenberg. (2008). National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Trees of North America . New York , NY : Sterling Publishing. 528p.
6. Hardin, J., D. Leopold., & F. White. (2000). Harlow and Harrar's Textbook of Dendrology, 9 th edition. New York , NY : McGraw-Hill Science Engineering. 534p.
7. Marquis, D.A. (undated). U.S. Forest Service Silviculture Manual. Retrieved Oct. 8, 2009 from http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/prunus/serotina.htm
8. Moerma,D.E. (1998). Native American Ethnobotany . Portland , Oregon : Timber Press. 927p.

Prunus serotina Ehrh. by Kumi Isobe, Native Plants of Arizona 2009 Common names: Black cherry, Wild black cherry, Mountain black cherry, Rum cherry (1). Family: Rosaceae. Synonymy: None Etymology: Prunus is an ancient Latin name for the plum. The suffix –serotina means flowering late (2, 3) and ripening late (3). Identification Growth form: Arborescent, multiple stemmed, medium-sized tree, 60 to 80 ft tall (5). Stem: Smooth with numerous short, narrow, horizontal lenticels in bark when young, becomes very dark nearly black when older (4). Twigs are slender, reddish brown sometimes covered in gray epidermis. Buds are very small (1/5 inch), covered in several glossy, reddish brown to greenish scales. Leaf scars are small and semicircular with 3 bundle scars (4). Leaves: Alternate, simple, 2 to 5 inches long, oblong to lance-shaped, with finely toothed margins, teeth often incurved or blunt (5), very small inconspicuous glands are on petiole(4). Inflorescence/flowers: Small white flowers in pendant racemes (5), 4 to 6 inches long (4). Petals 5, snowy white (5). Fruit: Dark purple round drupe, almost black when it is ripened. 1/3 inch in diameter with a sweet taste, matures in late summer (4). Similar species: The leaves has more pairs of side veins than choke cherry (P.virginiana ) (5). Ecology Life history: Perennial tree, shrub (1). Deciduous (5). Native/introduced: Native (1). The largest of the native cherries (6). Phenology: Flowers May to July, March to April in the Southwest. Fruiting June to October (1). Distribution: Wide spread in eastern North America, from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Quebec, Canada, Minnesota and North Dakota, southward to Florida and east Texas, west Texas(1) There are disjunct populations in New Mexico, Arizona, in mountains of southern Mexico and Guatemala (7). Known to be highly invasive in forests of Western Europe , and also naturalized in northern South America (1), at elevation to 7500 ft in the southwest (5). In Arizona , found in all counties except La Paz and Yuma (1). Uses This species has been harvested for its commercially valuable wood (5), which is used for furniture (6). Medicinal use: The bark is used for a cold remedy infusion among Native Americans. The Cherokee use the bark as blood purifier and dermatological aid astringent, the Delaware used the bark for diarrhea, and decoction of bark is used for headache. The Chippewa use its root to make a decoction to kill worms (8). The inner bark is used for medicine (6). The Ojibwa applied inner bark for chest pain and soreness by chewing it. The fruit is used for cough medicine to make cough syrup (8). Food: The Cherokee eat the fruits (8). Notes: P. serotina attains an age of 150 to 200 years. Because of thin scaly bark, it is severely damaged by surface fire. Eastern tent caterpillars ( Malacosoma americanum) and cherry scallop shell moth ( Hydria prunivorata) are major insect pests for this species (6). Black knot is common native disease caused by the fungus Apiosporina morbosa (7). References 1. USDA, NRCS. (2009). The PLANTS Database . Retrieved Oct. 2, 2009 , from http://plants.usda.gov . 2. Botanary, the Botanical Dictionary (2009). Retrieved Oct, 2. 2009, from http://davesgarden.com/guides/botanary/ 3. Charters, M.L. (2009).California plant names: Latin and Greek Meanings and derivations. A dictionary of Botanical and Biographical Etymology. Retrieved Oct. 5. 2009, from http://www.calflora.net/botanicalnames/ 4. Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation database. Retrieved Oct 5, 2009 from http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/DENDROLOGY/SYLLABUS/factsheet.cfm?ID=66 5. Kershner, B., D. Mothews., G. Nelson., & R. Spellenberg. (2008). National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Trees of North America . New York , NY : Sterling Publishing. 528p. 6. Hardin, J., D. Leopold., & F. White. (2000). Harlow and Harrar's Textbook of Dendrology, 9 th edition. New York , NY : McGraw-Hill Science Engineering. 534p. 7. Marquis, D.A. (undated). U.S. Forest Service Silviculture Manual. Retrieved Oct. 8, 2009 from http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/prunus/serotina.htm 8. Moerma,D.E. (1998). Native American Ethnobotany . Portland , Oregon : Timber Press. 927p.