Trees of Alabama and the Southeast Home Page

Leaves are simple, alternate, deciduous, elliptical and finely toothed with brown hair on the midrib and a pair of glands on the petiole near the leaf base. Twigs are red-brown with a waxy bloom. Bark is black-red and smooth with horizontal lenticels when young, becoming flaky and scaly with age.  Flowers are white. Fruit is a purple-black drupe.  Black cherry is found on a variety of sites in the east and central U.S. and is intolerant of shade.  The lustrous red-brown wood is commercially valuable and used for furniture, cabinets and veneer.  The fruit is a valuable wildlife food. 

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All text and photographs are intended for educational purposes only and are not for commercial use in any form.  All photographs are copyrighted by the named photographer(s), text copyright by Lisa Samuelson. © 2005, all rights reserved. Photographs by Mike Hogan.