Side by side
St Lucie cherry or wild cherry? How to tell them apart
Prunus mahaleb · Prunus avium
How to tell them apart – St Lucie cherry: small cherry with a round, glossy leaf, fragrant clusters of white flowers in May and small black cherries; wild cherry: larger, elongated leaf with two red glands on the stalk, and flowers in small bunches.
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How do you recognise them?
- St Lucie cherry
- Small cherry with a round, glossy leaf, fragrant clusters of white flowers in May and small black cherries.
- Wild cherry
- Glossy red-brown bark with horizontal bands; leaf with two red glands on the stalk.
- Compared with St Lucie cherry: larger, elongated leaf with two red glands on the stalk, and flowers in small bunches.
| St Lucie cherry | Wild cherry | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, 3–6 cm, round to broadly oval with a short pointed tip, finely scalloped and glossy; when dried it smells of hay (coumarin). | Alternate, obovate with a pointed tip, 6–15 cm, coarsely toothed, slightly drooping. Two small red glands at the top of the leaf stalk. |
| Flowering | Small, strongly scented white flowers in short, upright clusters of 3–10, in April–May, with the leaves (April–May). | White flowers in clusters, in April, just before or with the leaves (April). |
| Fruit | Small, bitter cherries 6–10 mm across, red at first and black when ripe, in July. | Small, dark red, sweet cherries in June–July; loved by birds. |
| Bark | Grey-brown with horizontal lenticels, as in cherries; the wood is fragrant. | Glossy red-brown, peeling in horizontal bands, with horizontal lines of lenticels. |
| Shape and height | Broadleaf tree, 4–10 m, often shrubby | Fruit tree, 15–25 m |
| Site | Full sun, any garden soil, dry | Full sun, any garden soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | Yes | Yes |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | – | Yes, for bees, butterflies and birds |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | June–August | June–August |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Both are native and good for wildlife: choose what suits your soil, your light and the space you have.
- Wild cherry grows 15–25 m tall: too big for an ordinary garden, but fine in a large garden, a park or a meadow.
Read on
- Plant profile: St Lucie cherry
- Plant profile: Wild cherry
- St Lucie cherry: when and how to prune
- Wild cherry: when and how to prune
- Identification key
Also looks like
- Wild cherry or Japanese cherry
- Wild cherry or sour cherry
- Bird cherry or St Lucie cherry
- Plum or wild cherry
- Bird cherry or wild cherry
Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.