Wild cherry

Wild Cherry (Prunus serotina) is a species of cherry native to eastern North America, from southern Quebec and Ontario south to Texas and central Florida, with disjunct populations in Arizona and New Mexico, and in the mountains of Mexico and Guatemala.

Description

The Wild Cherry is a deciduous tree growing to 15–30 m tall with a trunk up to 70 cm diameter, with reddish-brown bark. The leaves are simple, 6–14 cm long, with a serrated margin. The flowers are small (10–15 mm diameter), with five white petals and numerous yellowish stamens, and are clustered in racemes. The fruit is a black drupe 6–8 mm diameter.

Uses

The fruit of Prunus serotina is suitable for making jam and cherry pies, and has some use in flavoring liqueurs; they are also a popular flavoring for sodas and used in many ice creams. The wood is valuable; perhaps the premier cabinetry timber of the U.S, traded as "cherry". It is known for its strong red color and high price.

Cultivation

Wild Cherry is a pioneer species. In the Midwest, it is seen growing mostly in old fields with other sunlight-loving species, such as black walnut, black locust, and hackberry. Gleason and Cronquist (1991) describe P. serotina as "[f]ormerly a forest tree, now abundant as a weed-tree of roadsides, waste land, and forest-margins."

Health effects

The leaves, particularly when wilted, contain cyanogenic glycosides, which convert into hydrogen cyanide if eaten by animals. Farmers are recommended to remove any wild cherry trees that fall in a windstorm if they have livestock. The fruit, however, is safe to eat.

See also

• Cherry
• Prunus
• Cyanogenic glycoside

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