Prunus serotina var. virens

Prunus serotina, commonly called black cherry, wild black cherry, rum cherry, or mountain black cherry, is a deciduous tree or shrub in the rose family Rosaceae. Despite its common names, it is not very closely related to commonly cultivated cherries. It is found in the Americas.

Description

A small tree. The leaves are shiny bright green. The fruit are red.

This description is brief — help expand it

Edible Uses

Prunus serotina subsp. capuli was cultivated in Central and South America well before European contact. Known as capolcuahuitl in Nahuatl (the source of the capuli epithet), it was an important food in pre-Columbian Mexico. Native Americans ate the fruit. Edible raw, the fruit is also made into jelly, and the juice can be used as a drink mixer, hence the common name 'rum cherry'. Prunus serotina timber is valuable, perhaps the premier cabinetry timber of the U.S., traded as "cherry". High quality cherry timber is known for its strong orange hues, tight grain and high price. Low-quality wood, as well as the sap wood, can be more tan. Its density when dried is around 560 kg/m3 (35 lb/cu ft). Prunus serotina was widely introduced into Western and Central Europe as an ornamental tree in the mid-20th century, where it has become locally naturalized. It has acted as an invasive species there, negatively affecting forest community biodiversity and regeneration.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant.

Where It Grows

Mexico, North America, USA,

Also Known As

Capulin borracho, Capulin loco

References (3)

• Segura, S., et al, 2018, The edible fruit species in Mexico. Genet Resour Crop Evol (2018) 65:1767–1793
• USDA plants.
• Yetman, D., 2002, The Guarijios of the Sierra Madre: Hidden People of Northwestern Mexico. University of New Mexico Press. p 219

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