Arkansas Tree Database

Scientific name:

Prunus Serotina

Size:

80' tall, up to 100' tall

Leaves:

alternate, simple, edges broken with many fine incurved teeth, bitter almond odor and taste; shiny green above, paler beneath

Flowers:

3" drooping clusters with 20 or more small white flowers; March-April

Fruit:

red to purplish and nearly black when ripe, 1/4" diameter, berry-like fruit (called a drupe), edible but slightly bitter, eaten by many birds and mammals; July-August

Fall Interest:

reddish orange, yellow; deciduous

Culture:

sun to partial sun; medium moisture, well-drained soil; adaptable from moist to dry

Disease/Insect:

Use:

commercially valuable wood for furniture and woodworking, second in demand only to black walnut

Cultivars:

Notes:

bark smooth with narrow white horizontal lines (lenticels) on young trees, on old trees bark rough and broken into thick irregular plates with turned back edges, showing reddish bark beneath; dangerous to livestock because of cyanide in the leaves; good source of nectar and possibly pollen for bees; host plant for butterflies and moths; native to Arkansas