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| Prunus serotina
Black cherryEdible and readily eaten by the birds, the 1/4 - 3/8" round drupes are initially red but become sweet and turn to black in August-September. Although the small fruits make great jellies and are sometimes used in winemaking, the fruits are mostly seed and a great many need to be collected. The fruits are produced in heavy crops, staining concrete and other surfaces. My young daughter frequently returned from her day-care center with clothes stained purple with the fruits from a large overhead tree. The large 1"-diameter fruits sold as "black cherries" in ice cream are usually those of a different species, bleached and dyed. |
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