Plums and cherries are deciduous or evergreen trees or shrubs with imbricate buds. Evergreen species are not cold-hardy in Ohio and will not be discussed. Twigs have a bitter, almond taste. Leaves are alternate and toothed. Flowers are perfect and often showy. Fruit is a drupe and usually has a single seed.
I. The end bud is a lateral (pseudo-terminal) bud, and terminal buds are absent. A close examination of the twig will show a small branch stub at the end. Leaves are 21/2—4 inches (6—10 cm) long. Glands on petioles are often lacking, even on young growth. Twigs are glabrous. Flowers are white, and fruit is red or yellowish. Prunus americana–American Plum II. Terminal buds are present.
A. Buds are usually clustered at the ends of twigs in an oak-like fashion. Small, round glands on petioles are often missing, even on young growth. Glabrous leaves are 21/2—41/2 inches (6—11 cm) long. Petioles are 1/2—4/5 inches (13—20 mm) long. Twigs are glabrous, slender, reddish, and shiny. Flowers are white and borne solitarily, or few flowers in a cluster. Fruit is a red drupe.
Prunus pensylvanica–Pin Cherry
AA.
Buds are usually not clustered at ends of twigs. Terminal buds are larger and more pointed than the lateral buds. Glands on petioles are always present. Leaves are medium green above and light green beneath. Foliage is oblong, widest at or below the middle, and 2—4 inches (5—10 cm) long. Flowers are white and bloom between May and June. Flowers are borne in a many-flowered raceme. Fruit is black and ripens in September or October.
Prunus serotina–Wild Black Cherry
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| American (Wild) Plum |
American (Wild) Plum–Prunus americana
American plum is a small tree occurring in patches or thickets usually along the borders of woods or in abandoned fields. The trees are shade intolerant. The trees are often dwarf and rarely exceed 15 feet in height. This species reproduces both by seed and root sprouts. The suckering characteristic makes this tree difficult to use in the landscape.
Leaves are 21/2—4 inches (6—10 cm) long. Glands on petioles are often lacking, even on young growth. Leaves are rounded at the base and taper gradually to an acute or sharp point. The margins are finely, and often doubly, toothed.
Terminal buds are absent. End buds are pseudo-terminal buds. A close examination of the twig will show a small branch stub at the end where the terminal growth aborted. The glabrous branches are black to reddish-brown in color. Twigs have thornlike spurs.
When in bloom, the trees are a mass of white, highly fragrant flowers. Flowers appear before the leaves in April or May. The fruit is globular or rounded with thick, red to yellow skin that ripens in June or July. Early settlers of Ohio valued wild plums for jelly, plum butter, and preserves.
Pin (Wild Red) Cherry–Prunus pensylvanica
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| Pin (Wild Red) Cherry |
Pin cherry is a small tree usually not more than 30 feet in height. Branches are slender, smooth, brown to reddish in color, and glossy. Pin cherry occurs sparsely in northern Ohio, usually following a disturbance such as clear cutting or fire. The tree is not shade-tolerant and does not persist in woodlands.
Terminal buds are present. Twigs are glabrous, slender, reddish, and shiny. Buds are usually clustered at the ends of twigs in an oak-like fashion. Small, round glands on petioles are often missing, even on young growth. Glabrous leaves are 21/2—41/2 inches (6—113/4 cm) long. Petioles are 1/2—4/5 inches (13—20 mm) long. Leaves are narrow to oval in shape and gradually taper to an acute tip. Leaf margins are finely and sharply toothed.
Flowers open in May or June and are quite showy and attractive. Flowers are white and borne as solitary flowers or a few in a cluster. Fruit is a 1/4 inch-diameter (6 mm), globular, red drupe. The sour fruit ripens in July and August and is attractive to birds. The trees are too small to have valuable timber.
Wild Black Cherry–Prunus serotina
Wild black cherry is a medium-sized tree up to 70 feet high with a 1—3-foot-diameter trunk. As a tree, the black cherry is at its best in the moist, deep soils of southern Ohio. Forest trees have long, clear trunks with little taper. Open-grown trees have short trunks with many branches and irregular-spreading crowns. Wild cherry is much more shade-tolerant as a young tree than other native cherries and is found in mature woodlands.
Foliage is oblong, widest at or below the middle, and 2—4 inches (5—10 cm) long. The leaves are alternate, simple, and have leaf margins that are broken by many fine, incurved teeth. Leaves are medium green above and light green beneath. Glands on the petioles are always present.
Buds are not clustered at the ends of twigs. Terminal buds are present, larger, and more pointed than the lateral buds. The bark on branches and young trunks is smooth, bright reddish-brown, and glossy. Twigs are marked by conspicuous, narrow, white, horizontal lines (lenticels). The twigs have a bitter, almond taste. On older trunks the bark becomes rough and broken into thick, irregular plates.
Flowers are white and open in May or June. Flowers are borne in a many-flowered raceme. Fruit is a black drupe and ripens in September or October. The fruit is dull, purplish-black, about as large as a pea, and borne in long, hanging clusters. Fruit is edible although it has a slightly bitter taste. The fruit can be fermented to make cherry brandy.
The wood is reddish-brown with yellowish sapwood. Cherry lumber is moderately heavy, hard, strong, and fine-grained. Cherry does not warp or split in seasoning. It is valuable for its luster and color and is used for furniture and interior finish. With the exception of black walnut, cherry lumber has a greater unit value than any other native hardwood of the eastern United States.
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| Wild Black Cherry | ||