FNPS Plant Database

Prunus serotina

black cherry
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

black cherry

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Prunus serotina

Family:

Rosaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

Tree

Size:

To 70 ft

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

black

Phenology:

Deciduous. Blooms in spring. Fruit ripens summer-fall. Life span about 50 yrs (Nelson 2003)

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Fall Color

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Shade tree. Useful for informal reforestation of old grove land.

Considerations:

Leaves and twigs are highly poisonous to livestock, pets and humans.

Availability:

Seed

Propagation:

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Somewhat moist, no flooding -to- Very long very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Clay, Loam

Soil pH:

Acidic but moderately adaptable

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
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Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Caterpillars, Birds

Bees are pollinators. Larval host for tiger swallowtail.

Birds and other animals eat the fruits. Birds are the primary disperser into old fields and hedge rows.

Native Habitats:

Dry sites. Upland mixed forest, upland hardwood forest, secondary woods, old fields, sandhill, ruderal areas

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Can make jelly from the pitted fruit.

General Comments:

The range of Prunus serotina includes most of eastern North America as far north as southern Canada. It extends west into Texas and there are spotty occurrences as far west as Arizona. In Florida, the range appears to be continuous as far south as the central peninsula after which it disappears, a pattern generally associated with temperature. This species should grow well down to the central peninsula. Some people consider this to be a weed tree. This author has it in my "field" where it is thriving and very welcome. It is an early successional tree, but not a problem plant. The tree lis an important component of deciduous forests in north Florida and eastern North America.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Burns, Russell M, and Barbara H. Honkala [Technical coordinators]. (1990). Silvics of North America: Volume 2. Hardwoods. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook 654. ( https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/1548 ). Accessed 2026.


Deyrup, Mark, Jay Edirisinghe, and Beth Norden. (2002). The diversity and floral hosts of bees at the Archbold Biological Station, Florida (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). Insecta Mundi, 544. ( https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/insectamundi/544/ ). Accessed 2026. University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE.


Fox, Laurie, and Joel Koci. (2021). Trees and Shrubs that Tolerate Saline Conditions. ( https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-031/430-031.html ). Accessed 2026. Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA.


Gilman, Edward F, Deborah Hilbert, Dennis G. Watson, Ryan Klein, Andrew Koeser, and Drew C. McLean. (2019). Prunus serotina , Black Cherry (Fact sheet ENH-675). ( https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/ST516 ). Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.


Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell. (1999). Native Florida Plants. Gulf Publishing Company. Houston, TX.


Huegel, Craig N. (2010). Native Plant Landscaping for Florida Wildlife. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Minno, Marc, and Maria Minno. (1999). Florida Butterfly Gardening: A Complete Guide to Attracting, Identifying, and Enjoying Butterflies. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Nelson, Gil. (2003). Florida's Best Landscape Plants: 200 Readily Available Species for Homeowners and Professionals. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Osorio, Rufino. (2001). A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Traas, Pamela. (2001). Gardening for Florida's Butterflies. Great Outdoors Publishing Co, St. Petersburg, FL.


University of Tennessee Extension Service. (2010). Desired pH Range and salt tolerance of common nursery plants. ( https://plantsciences.tennessee.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2021/10/Desired-pH-Range-List.pdf ). Accessed 2026. University of Tennessee Extension, Knoxville.


Wunderlin, R. P, B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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