Illinois Natural History Survey - University of Illinois

Prunus serotina
Wild black cherry
Taxonomy

Synonyms:

Subspecific taxa:

Classification:

  • Magnoliophyta

Other taxonomic & nomenclature sources: USDA Plants;  ITIS;  The Plant List;  IPNI

Images

   
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Species Distribution
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More about map & occurrence records

County Map Legend
Absent:
Not known from county
Medium confidence:
Medium or unknown confidence;
often old records or unverifiable observations
Medium-high confidence:
Often observations by expert botanists
High confidence:
Often vouchered herbarium records
Planted / introduced:
Native species introduced outside historic range,
or only in planted locations within county (e.g., restorations)
Historic / extirpated:
Only historic records for the species; likely extirpated
(Note that this category is not yet functional)

North American distribution maps for this species: FLNA;  USDA Plants;  BONAP;  BISON

Collections, Observations & Flowering by Month [?]

J
0
F
0
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
0
A
0
S
0
O
0
N
0
D
0

Collections & Observations by Decade [?]

Species Status

Status/Listing: No Information

Notes:

Origin: Native

Species Description

General: Dicot-woody, perennial

Roots: primary

Shoots: alternate leaf arrangment; simple leaf type; serrate leaf margin; Pinnate leaf venation; linear, oblong, ovate leaf shape

Inflorescence: raceme

Flowers: perfect; 5 merous; complete, regular; white; perigynous ovary position

Fruit: drupe

Physiology: autotrophic; C3 C02 fixation

Reproduction: sexual

Ecology & Natural History

Habitat: Species is distributed in wood margins; roadsides; waste ground.

ILPIN Notes: Terrestrial furbearers eat fruit and bark as food; seeds are a favorite food of chipmunks and deer mice; chipmunks store large quatities for its winter food supply; fruit is especially eaten by ring-necked pheasant, evening grosbeaks, robins, starlings, cedar waxwings. Regarding aquatic species food value, this pertains to aquatic furbearers who also eat bark. Leaf midrib is prominent beneath and often villous; fruit is dark purple or black, spherical; flowers appearing when leaves partly grown. Forms - whips, seeds, balled and burlapped. Wood is moderatley heavy, hard, strong, and close-grained. Fruit is edible - juicy, fleshy, often used for wine and jelly; inner bark used medicinally as a tonic, sedative, and expectorant. Seed company no. 2, 4, 13, 15, 20, 22, 28, 29, 33, 39, 52.

Functional Relationships:

  • Pollinators:
  • Dispersal: bird, bird - internal, mammal, mammal - internal
  • Mycorrhizae:
  • N2 fixation:

Human Relationships:

  • Edibility [?] :
  • Showy Flowers: medium

Wildlife and Livestock Information:

  • Food Value: deer: good; upland game birds: good; small non-game bird: good; small mammals: good; aquatic species: good
  • Cover Value: small non-game bird: good

Coefficient of Conservatism (C-value) [?] :

  • Entire State: 1
  • Chicago Area: 1

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