The leaves are alternate, oblong with a pointed tip, finely toothed and are three to five inches long. They are shiny, dark green and provide good fall color turning yellow and red. In spring, small white flowers appear in drooping clusters about four to five inches long. Dark purple to black fruit ripen in the summer. It is bittersweet and often used in wines, jellies, sauces, sherbets and pies.
Birds love the cherries and distribute the seeds widely.
Black cherry is found along fence rows, powerlines, in upland mixed forests and hammocks in north and central Florida. The large leaves are alternate, toothed, heart shaped and occasionally divided into lobes with no more than three lobes per leaf. On top, the leaves are dull green and have deeply sunken veins. The undersides are usually pale. Because of stiff hairs, the leaves are rough to the touch.