Flora of the Southeastern United States

Prunus serotina Ehrhart var. serotina. Common name: Eastern Wild Black Cherry, Bird Cherry. Phenology: Apr-May; Jul-Aug. Habitat: Rich coves, bottomlands, northern hardwood forests, and in a wide variety of lower elevation habitats from dry to mesic, and weedy in fencerows. Distribution: NS west to ND, south to c. peninsular FL and e. TX. Introduced in Europe and very extensively naturalized and invasive there (Segura et al. 2018).

Origin/Endemic status: Native

Taxonomy Comments: Several other varieties occur in sc. and sw. North America, from c. TX westward and south through Mexico to Guatemala. In the Piedmont and Coastal Plain, P. serotina is generally a small, scrubby tree of fencerows and an understory tree in forests and woodlands, but in the Mountains reaching large sizes and full canopy stature.

Synonymy ⓘ: = Can, K4, NcTx, NE, NY, Va; = Prunus serotina Ehrh. ssp. serotina — McVaugh (1951), Robertson (1974); > Padus serotina (Ehrh.) Borkh. var. neomontana Sudw. — S13; > Padus serotina (Ehrh.) Borkh. var. serotina — S13; < Padus virginiana (L.) Mill. — S, misapplied; < Prunus serotina Ehrh. — Ar, C, F, G, GrPl, Il, Mi, Pa, Tat, Tn, W; < Prunus serotina Ehrh. var. serotina — Fl3, FNA9, RAB, WH3. Basionym: Prunus serotina Ehrh. 1783

Links to other floras: < Prunus serotina var. serotina - FNA9

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Wetland Indicator Status:

• Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: FACU (name change)
• Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: FACU (name change)
• Great Plains: FACU (name change)
• Midwest: FACU (name change)
• Northcentral & Northeast: FACU (name change)

Heliophily ⓘ: 5