Cherry, black

Botanical name: Prunus serotina

 

Other names: US: black cherry, cherry, wild black c., wild c. UK: cherry FR: cerisier DE: Kirsche IT: ciliegio americano VL/NL: Amerikaans kersen

 

The heartwood of black cherry varies from light to dark reddish brown and has a distinctive luster. The nearly white sapwood is narrow in old-growth trees and wider in secondgrowth trees. The wood has a fairly uniform texture and very good machining properties. It is moderately heavy, strong, stiff, and moderately hard, with high shock resistance. Although it has moderately high shrinkage, it is very dimensionally stable after drying.

Black cherry is used principally for furniture, fine veneer panels, and architectural woodwork. Other uses include burial caskets, wooden ware, novelties, patterns, and  paneling.