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Fothergilla gardenii Witch Alder
Fothergilla gardenii (Witch Alder). Photo © Mary Free
You are here: Home / Plants / Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic / Trees / Prunus serotina ([Wild] Black Cherry)

Prunus serotina ([Wild] Black Cherry)

Prunus serotina, wild black cherry flowers
Prunus serotina, wild black cherry fruit
Prunus serotina, wild black cherry leaves
Prunus serotina, wild black cherry tree
White, horizontal bands of lenticels on a young native Prunus serotina
The smooth, reddish-brown bark of young black cherry trees becomes very dark and breaks into small, rough, upturned plates.
Prunus serotina, wild black cherry bark

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Black Cherry, the largest of our native cherry trees, grows in a variety of habitats through much of the Mid-Atlantic Region* and is noted for the beauty and profusion of its spring blooms. It is entomologist Doug Tallamy’s #2 choice among woody plants for its exceptional support of wildlife. Tree Tree, Leaves, Flowers, and Fruit Height: 50–80 feet Spread: 30–60 feet Bloom Color: White Characteristics Medium to large deciduous tree with dense oval crown, pendulous branches, and deep taproot Glossy, dark green, ovate to lanceolate, lightly serrated leaves turn yellow and orange in fall Drooping racemes of showy, fragrant, white flowers from April to May Drooping clusters of small red drupes ripen to dark purplish-black in late summer Smooth bark w/ lenticels matures to rough texture Spreads via seed dispersal by birds & mammals Attributes Tolerates drought, salt spray, and black walnut Susceptible to many diseases and pests (heavy Eastern Tent Caterpillar infestations can be serious) Deer frequently severely damage twigs & leaves Used** for jams, flavoring, wood products Nectar, pollen, and fruit for insects, birds, and mammals; larval host for 450 Lepidoptera Growing and Maintenance Tips Excellent Replacement for Soil Requirements: Average, well-drained Morus alba - White Mulberry Light Requirements: Sun, Partial Shade Prunus avium & P. subhirtella - Bird & Higan Cherry Water Requirements: Dry, Moist Pyrus calleryana - Callery (‘Bradford’) Pear Can be allelopathic to garden plants *In the Mid-Atlantic Region, it is native to and common in DC, DE, MD, PA, and VA. **Except for the fruit (pulp and peel), all parts are highly toxic to humans and mammals when eaten. On properties with domesticated herbivores, pick up leaf litter and fallen fruit/pits and branches. Wilted leaves contain greater concentrations of toxins. Use as a flowering or shade tree Hardiness: USDA Zones 3–9 developed by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, serving Arlington and Alexandria Images by Elaine Mills, Meadowlark Botanical Gardens; Arlington, VA; and Rockville, MD

Tried and True Native Plant Selections
for the Mid-Atlantic 

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Prunus serotina ([Wild] Black Cherry)

Black Cherry, the largest of our native cherry trees, grows in a variety of habitats through much of the Mid-Atlantic Region* and is noted for the beauty and profusion of its spring blooms. It is entomologist Doug Tallamy’s #2 choice among woody plants for its exceptional support of wildlife.

*In the Mid-Atlantic Region, it is native to and common in DC, DE, MD, PA, and VA.

Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants: 
Tried and True Native Plant Fact Sheets