Side by side
Bird cherry or black cherry? How to tell them apart
Prunus padus · Prunus serotina
You can tell a bird cherry by its dull, thin leaves without brown hairs and its long hanging spikes of flowers in April–May; a black cherry has glossy, leathery leaves with rusty-brown hairs along the midrib underneath and flowers later.
Turn a leaf over and look along the midrib: a row of rusty-brown hairs means black cherry, the invasive ‘forest plague’. Its leaf is also glossy and firm, whereas that of the native bird cherry is dull and thin.
| Bird cherry | Black cherry | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, elliptical, 6–12 cm, thin and dull, finely and sharply toothed; small glands at the top of the leaf stalk. | Alternate, elliptical, 5–12 cm, leathery and glossy dark green, finely toothed with incurved teeth. Underside with rusty-brown hairs along the midrib. |
| Flowering | Long hanging spikes of white, strongly scented flowers in April–May (April–May). | Spikes of small white flowers in May–June (May–June). |
| Fruit | Black, bitter little cherries. | Black little cherries in late summer. |
| Bark | Grey-brown, smells unpleasant when damaged. | Dark, with horizontal lenticels; smells of bitter almonds. |
| Shape and height | Broadleaf tree, 5–15 m | Broadleaf tree, 10–20 m, often shrubby |
| Site | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, moist to wet | Sun or partial shade, acid soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | Yes | No, an invasive alien species |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for bees |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Yes, take care with children and pets |
| Pruning months | June–August | Better removed than pruned |
The best feature in each season
- Spring
- The bird cherry flowers as early as April–May with long, hanging spikes of strongly scented white flowers; the black cherry only in May–June, with shorter spikes.
- Summer
- Look at the leaf edge: finely and sharply toothed on the bird cherry, with incurved little teeth on the black cherry. On both, black cherries ripen in summer, which birds love.
- Autumn
- The glossy leaves of the black cherry hang on for a long time and then turn yellow to orange-red; by then the bird cherry is often already bare.
- Winter
- Scratch a twig: both smell unpleasant, but the black cherry smells of bitter almonds. Its dark bark has conspicuous horizontal stripes; that of the bird cherry is greyish brown.
Where do they grow?
The bird cherry is native but rare in the wild: along streams, in damp woods and hedgerows. The black cherry was planted on a large scale in the 20th century in pinewoods on sandy soil and now runs rampant, especially in the Campine and on the Dutch sandy soils.
Which one for your garden?
- Do not plant a black cherry: it is an invasive non-native species that takes over woodland. Pull up young seedlings roots and all; a larger tree resprouts after felling, so ring-bark it or ask your local council or a conservation group for advice.
- Choose the native bird cherry instead for a damp garden, or a rowan, a hawthorn or a guelder rose: all good for bees and birds. The stones and leaves of both release cyanide and are poisonous: do not leave wilted leaves in a field.
Did you know? In the Netherlands the black cherry earned the nickname bospest, forest plague: once planted to improve forest soil and as a firebreak, it is now one of the most troublesome invasive trees.
Read on
- Plant profile: Bird cherry
- Plant profile: Black cherry
- Bird cherry: when and how to prune
- Identification key: the question that separates them