The _leaves_ are alternate, oval, pointed, sharply toothed, (often
doubly toothed) along the margin, thick and firm, 3 to 4 inches long by
1 to 2 inches wide, narrowed or rounded at the base, and prominently
veined on both surfaces.
The _flowers_ appear in numerous small clusters before, or
simultaneously with, the leaves, and are white with small bright red
portions in the center. The _fruit_, or plum, which ripens in late
summer, is red or orange colored, about an inch in diameter, contains a
stone or pit that is flattened and about as long as the pulpy part, and
varies rather widely in its palatability.
The _wood_ is heavy, hard, close-grained, reddish-brown in color and has
no especial commercial uses.
The Canada plum, _Prunus nigra_ Ait., is similar to the common wild
plum, but the teeth of the leaves are blunt, the leaves are thin and
the fruit is orange in color, almost without bloom.
The wild goose plum, _Prunus hortulana_ Bailey, has thin lance-shaped
leaves; its flowers have short petals and it has a rather hard, small
globular fruit.
+BLACK CHERRY+ _Prunus serotina_ Ehrh.
A common tree in Illinois and attaining sizes up to about 70 feet in
height and 1 to 3 feet in diameter, black cherry as a tree is found all
over the State. The forest-grown trees have long clear trunks with
little taper; open-grown trees have spreading crowns. The _bark_ on
branches and young trees is smooth and bright reddish-brown, marked by
conspicuous, narrow white, horizontal lines, and has a bitter-almond
taste. On the older trunks the bark becomes rough and broken into thick,
irregular plates.
[Illustration: BLACK CHERRY