A Tree Grower's Diary Black Cherry Facts

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Julie's Trees
New Jersey

Key identifying features.. Little yellow-white cylindrical pendulums in May; dark purple to black berries in August.

Common name.. Black cherry

Scientific name.. Prunus serotia

Mature height.. 70 to 80 feet

Mature spread.. To 30 feet or wider when grown in open, sunny, moist soil locations.

Form.. Spreading, irregular crown.

Fruit.. Pale green berries begin to form as pea-size balls in late spring, born in long, hanging clusters. Ripening in late summer, the prolific berries are prized by birds and squirrels who begin to eat the fruit in early summer, while still red or purple. The fruit is not truly ripe, however, until it has turned black, usually in August. By then, it has softened and become quite juicy. Edible by humans, the taste is sweeter when ripe, but is still somewhat bitter. The seed inside the berry is prominent and easily germinates. Therefore, the tree occurs widely in nature, easily dispersed by the many mammals that eat the berries.

Copyright 1996-2008, Julie Walton Shaver.