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Black Cherry

Prunus serotina

Rosaceae · broadleaf deciduous tree · native

Last updated

Data Coverage 5 of 6 dimensions
Site Data
Threats
Cultivars
Phenology
GDD Thresholds
Puget Sound

Black cherry has 64 documented diseases and 41 pests, making it one of the most heavily burdened trees in our system. It grows fast (50-60 feet at maturity), seeds prolifically, and has weed potential. In the Puget Sound lowlands, Verticillium wilt in compacted soils and brown rot in wet springs are the diseases that actually cause problems. The foliage and seeds contain cyanogenic glycosides that are toxic to livestock. The fruit is edible for humans and excellent for birds. For residential landscapes, the mature size, disease load, and toxicity concerns make black cherry a poor choice. It has value in naturalized areas and larger properties where the wildlife food value outweighs the maintenance burden.

— Chris Welch, ISA Certified Arborist

Quick Facts

Height
50-60 ft
Spread
26 ft
Growth Rate
Fast
Light
Full Sun
Soil
Moist
Water
Moderate
Hardiness
Zone Zones 3a–8b
Bloom Time
April to May
Fall Color
Red
Origin
from Ontario east to North Dakota and south to Texas and

Phenological Calendar

As of April 3, 2026, Puget Sound stations range from 1070 to 1180.6 GDD₃₂. Black Cherry typically reaches beginning of flowering at 1656 GDD₃₂, predicted around May 1.

Regional Season Tracker

GDD₃₂ accumulation across 7 Puget Sound stations · as of Apr 3, 2026
Station GDD₃₂ Current Stage Next To Go
Issaquah / East King 1,181 Pre-season Beginning of flowering 475
Seattle / UW 1,171 Pre-season Beginning of flowering 485
Kent / Auburn 1,111 Pre-season Beginning of flowering 545
Olympia / Tumwater 1,106 Pre-season Beginning of flowering 550
Bellingham / Whatcom 1,101 Pre-season Beginning of flowering 555
Tacoma / Puyallup 1,075 Pre-season Beginning of flowering 581
Sequim / Rain Shadow 1,070 Pre-season Beginning of flowering 586
Stage GDD32 Typical Window
○ Beginning of flowering BBCH 61 NEXT 1656 — est. May 1 (avg)
Regional estimate
Range: 917–1105 GDD₃₂ (6yr)

GDD = Growing Degree Days (base 32°F, Jan 1 start). Why base 32? Source GDD₅₀ thresholds from Herms 2004 (OSU, Secrest Arboretum, Ohio) and UMD IPMnet (Gill & Klick, mid-Atlantic), converted to GDD₃₂ via Kent bloom-date mapping. Season tracker for Kent / Auburn as of Apr 3, 2026. Predicted dates use 16-day weather forecast through Apr 19, 2026, then climate normals.

Diseases (58)

Taphrina wiesneri Witches'-broom (Cherry leaf curl) Verticillium dahliae Verticillium Wilt Stigmina carpophila Shothole (Coryneum Blight) Prunus necrotic Prunus Necrotic Ringspot Podosphaera aphanis var. aphanis Powdery Mildew Uncharacterized graft Necrotic rusty mottle Cherry mottle leaf virus Mottle leaf Little cherry Little Cherry Symptom category — not a single disease Leaf Spot Non-pathogenic (physiological response to injury/stress) Gumming (Gummosis) Abiotic or frost injury Dead Bud Cytospora canker Cytospora Canker Rhizobium radiobacter (formerly Agrobacterium tumefaciens) Crown Gall The fungi Brown Rot Blossom Blight and Fruit Rot Apiosporina morbosa Black Knot Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae Bacterial Canker Armillaria ostoyae Armillaria Root Rot Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae Bacterial Canker and Blast Monilinia fructicola and M Brown Rot Plum pox virus (PPV) Plum Pox (Sharka) Xanthomonas citri Red Spot Fruit Blemish (Freckles) Stigmina carpophila or Diaporthe spp. Shothole Chondrostereum purpureum Silver Leaf Limb and Wood Decay Armillaria mellea Armillaria Crown and Root Rot An uncharacterized Black Canker The cherry Cherry Mottle Leaf Cherry twisted Cherry Twisted Leaf Believed to Crinkle Leaf and Deep Suture Eola rasp Eola Rasp Leaf (Yellow Bud Mosaic) Although bacterial Fungal Cankers Mechanical injury Gumming The normal June Drop Grapevine leafroll virus Leafroll Uncharacterized graft Necrotic Rusty Mottle (Lambert Mottle) and Rusty Mottle Phytophthora spp. (P Phytophthora Root Rot Multiple fungal agents Pitting Many fungi Postharvest Rots Prune dwarf Prune Dwarf Cherry rasp Rasp Leaf Pythium spp., Phytophthora spp., Rhizoctonia spp., Fusari... Replant Disease This problem Rosette [VERIFY] (multiple possible causes) Rugose Prune dwarf Sour Cherry Yellows Several causes Stem Pitting One of Virus-induced Cherry Decline Raspberry bushy dwarf virus and related viruses Virus Taphrina wiesneri Witches' Broom Candidatus Phytoplasma pruni X-Disease Taphrina deformans Leaf Curl Non-pathogenic (physiological disorder — epidermal cell d... Russeting Chrysomyxa piperiana Rusty Spot Environmental/temperature stress Split Pit Phytophthora spp Sprinkler Rot (Phytophthora Fruit Rot) Blueberry mosaic virus and related viruses Virus Diseases Taphrina pruni Plum Pockets Thekopsora minima and Naohidemyces vaccinii Rust Wilsonomyces carpophilus Coryneum blight (Shothole)

Pests (40)