| Black Cherry is a common, weedy, early-successional tree. The leaves release the distinctive cherry-like aroma of cyanide when crushed. Healthy leaves contain prunasin, which is converted to hydrogen cyanide (HCN) when the leaves are crushed. This highly toxic substance acts as a defense mechanism against herbivores.
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| Black Cherry leaves are sometimes more elongate, approaching those of Pin Cherry (Prunus pensylvanica), which is found at relatively high elevations in the mountains. Alleghany Co., NC 9/23/06.
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| Black Cherry produces masses of white flowers in spring. The specific epithet serotina means "late" - it flowers later that other native cherries. Chatham Co., NC 4/19/2003.
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| Flower detail. Flowers open a bit later at higher elevations, such as here. Franklin, Macon Co., NC 5/13/06.
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| The cherries are small, black when ripe, and relatively tasteless, neither sweet nor sour. Durham Co., NC 7/4/03.
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| Alleghany Co., NC 9/23/06.
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| The bark is smooth when young, with horizontally elongated lenticels. |
| At this stage, the Sweet Birch (Betula lenta) has similar bark. Alleghany Co., NC 9/23/06.
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| The bark breaks into upturned plates when older. Though Black Cherry can become a fairly large tree in the Appalachian Mountains, in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain it is very susceptible to disease and tends to be small and short-lived.
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