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Prunus serotina

Accession Count: 0
Common Name: wild choke cherry
Family Name: Rosaceae
Botanical Name: Prunus serotina
Synonyms:
Botanical Synonyms: Prunus capuli, Cerasis longifolius, Prunus salicifolia
Sub Species: virens
Variety:
Forma:
Cultivar:
Characteristics:
Compound: Pru ser vir
Geographic Origin: Southern U. S.
Ecozone Origin: Nearctic
Biome Origin:
Natural History: Prunus serotina, commonly referred to as Wild Choke Cherry or Black Cherry, is native to Southeastern Canada, the Eastern United States and as far west and south as Texas and Mexico (1,2).  It is the most historic and the only native cherry of significant commercial value in the United States.  Although Prunus serotina has been distributed throughout North America it maintains most prevalent in Canada and the Eastern United States.
Cultivation Notes: Wild Choke Cherry is found in heavily wooded areas and grows best in full sun with well drained moist soil.  It has only one main stem and sheds its leaves annually.  It is often propagated by seed, bare root, and container, not by cuttings. 


Ethnobotany:

Wild Choke Cherry is a very valuable wood that is used to produce high quality furniture dating back to colonial America (5).  An extract of the bark is used in cough syrup and some whiskeys to add a wild cherry flavor.  The fruit of this plant is edible, but the rest of the plant cannot be consumed because of toxins such as amygdalin in the plant tissues (4).  The fruits provide nutrients for small animals such as birds, small mammals and insects.  But as the leaves wilt the foliage becomes toxic for livestock (6).
Height: 50 - 100 feet
Width: 20 - 50 feet
Growth Rate: Fast Growing
Grow Season: Spring
Flower Season: Spring
Color: White
Function: Accent
Spread: Spreading
Allergen: Non-allergenic
Invasive: Invasive
Toxicity: Benign
Hardy: Semi-hardy
Water Use: Moderate Water Use
Citations:

1. Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation. Retrieved on December 10, 2013

2. Encyclopedia of Life--Prunus Serotina. Retrieved on December 9, 2013.

3. USDA Plant Guide. Retrieved on December 10, 2013.

4. Native Plant Database. Retrieved on December 8, 2013.

5. Southern Trees Fact Sheets. Retrieved on December 9, 2013.

6. USDA Forest Service. Retrieved on December 10, 2013

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Prunus serotina