Organic Answers Column – July 5, 2023 – Black Cherry

Escarpment or Wild Black Cherry is a Good Native Tree

There are several varieties of wild black cherry trees native around Texas, generally growing to between 25 and 50 feet, but in the right soil they can grow quite large, as tall as 100 feet. Black cherry is a medium sized tree, capable of growing to great height but normally stays under 50 feet. It develops a narrow crown with a single, slender trunk with open branching and beautiful shiny foliage.

The wild black cherry, also called the choke cherry, rum cherry, or the escarpment cherry has white drooping flowers when leaves have just emerged, followed by clusters of green, red, and black cherries, which can all be on the tree at the same time. Most of the fruit ripens in late summer. The leaves are simple, alternate and deciduous. These trees have yellow fall color, and some years they are spectacular. They need moist well-drained soil.

Fall color can be dramatic some years

The wild black cherry native habitat is in far east Texas, the Hill Country and the Trans Pecos in west Texas. It is commonly found in full sun in fencerows, thickets and on the edges of woods. Black cherry can grow in sandy to rocky alkaline soils. Prunus serotina has varieties such as Escarpment black cherry Prunus serotina eximia, found primarily in the Hill Country area of central Texas and Southwestern black cherry Prunus serotina var. rufula that is found in the Trans Pecos and far west Texas.

Prunus serotina fruit photo by Rasbak, CC-BY-SA, via Wikimedia

Wild black cherry can be used as an ornamental tree, and all of these trees produce a high quality wood. Maintenance is minimal and it grows in a wide range of soils. The fruit is good for attracting birds and other wildlife. A drawback to the cherry is that the twigs and leaves can be toxic to some animals and humans and they can attract tent caterpillars. These trees should be planted in areas where children and pets aren’t liable to come into contact with the bark or twigs. Eating leaves, twigs, seeds, or fruit are particularly bad for cattle, sheep, goats, and deer (all ruminants), but can also be bad for horses, pigs, and domestic pets.

There are a few problems associated with these wild black cherries; the thin bark is easily damaged by fire and tent caterpillars sometimes attack and black knot fungal galls sometimes disfigure limbs.

Wild black cherry seeds sprout best after going through the digestive system of some animals, so to propagate them they need to go through stratification (placed in cold for weeks, or a short dilute acid soak) or by starting with a cutting taken in summer.

Black cherry makes a fine landscape tree and should be used more. Herbalists recommend cherries and cherry juice for intestinal cleaning and black cherry is an important food source for wildlife.