What is "prunus serotina"

Wild \Wild\, a. [Compar. Wilder; superl. Wildest.] [OE. wilde, AS. wilde; akin to OFries. wilde, D. wild, OS. & OHG. wildi, G. wild, Sw. & Dan. vild, Icel. villr wild, bewildered, astray, Goth. wilpeis wild, and G. & OHG. wild game, deer; of uncertain origin.]

1. Living in a state of nature; inhabiting natural haunts, as the forest or open field; not familiar with, or not easily approached by, man; not tamed or domesticated; as, a wild boar; a wild ox; a wild cat.

   Winter's not gone yet, if the wild geese fly that way.
   --Shak.

2. Growing or produced without culture; growing or prepared without the aid and care of man; native; not cultivated; brought forth by unassisted nature or by animals not domesticated; as, wild parsnip, wild camomile, wild strawberry, wild honey.

   The woods and desert caves, With wild thyme and gadding vine o'ergrown.
   --Milton.

3. Desert; not inhabited or cultivated; as, wild land. ``To trace the forests wild.''
   --Shak.

4. Savage; uncivilized; not refined by culture; ferocious; rude; as, wild natives of Africa or America.

5. Not submitted to restraint, training, or regulation; turbulent; tempestuous; violent; ungoverned; licentious; inordinate; disorderly; irregular; fanciful; imaginary; visionary; crazy. ``Valor grown wild by pride.''
   --Prior. ``A wild, speculative project.''
   --Swift.

   What are these So withered and so wild in their attire ?
   --Shak.

   With mountains, as with weapons, armed; which makes Wild work in heaven.
   --Milton.

   The wild winds howl.
   --Addison.

   Search then the ruling passion, there, alone The wild are constant, and the cunning known.
   --Pope.

6. Exposed to the wind and sea; unsheltered; as, a wild roadstead.

7. Indicating strong emotion, intense excitement, or ?ewilderment; as, a wild look.

8. (Naut.) Hard to steer; -- said of a vessel. Note: Many plants are named by prefixing wild to the names of other better known or cultivated plants to which they a bear a real or fancied resemblance; as, wild allspice, wild pink, etc. See the Phrases below. To run wild, to go unrestrained or untamed; to live or untamed; to live or grow without culture or training. To sow one's wild oats. See under Oat. Wild allspice. (Bot.), spicewood. Wild balsam apple (Bot.), an American climbing cucurbitaceous plant ( Echinocystis lobata). Wild basil (Bot.), a fragrant labiate herb ( Calamintha Clinopodium) common in Europe and America. Wild bean (Bot.), a name of several leguminous plants, mostly species of Phaseolus and Apios. Wild bee (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of undomesticated social bees, especially the domestic bee when it has escaped from domestication and built its nest in a hollow tree or among rocks. Wild bergamot. (Bot.) See under Bergamot. Wild boar (Zo["o]l.), the European wild hog ( Sus scrofa), from which the common domesticated swine is descended. Wild brier (Bot.), any uncultivated species of brier. See Brier. Wild bugloss (Bot.), an annual rough-leaved plant ( Lycopsis arvensis) with small blue flowers. Wild camomile (Bot.), one or more plants of the composite genus Matricaria, much resembling camomile. Wild cat. (Zo["o]l.)

   1. A European carnivore ( Felis catus) somewhat resembling the domestic cat, but larger stronger, and having a short tail. It is destructive to the smaller domestic animals, such as lambs, kids, poultry, and the like.

   2. The common American lynx, or bay lynx.

   3. (Naut.) A wheel which can be adjusted so as to revolve either with, or on, the shaft of a capstan. --Luce. Wild celery. (Bot.) See Tape grass, under Tape. Wild cherry. (Bot.)

      1. Any uncultivated tree which bears cherries. The wild red cherry is Prunus Pennsylvanica. The wild black cherry is Prunus serotina, the wood of which is much used for cabinetwork, being of a light red color and a compact texture.

      2. The fruit of various species of Prunus. Wild cinnamon. See the Note under Canella. Wild comfrey (Bot.), an American plant ( Cynoglossum Virginicum) of the Borage family. It has large bristly leaves and small blue flowers. Wild cumin (Bot.), an annual umbelliferous plant ( Lag[oe]cia cuminoides) native in the countries about the Mediterranean. Wild drake (Zo["o]l.) the mallard. Wild elder (Bot.), an American plant ( Aralia hispida) of the Ginseng family. Wild fowl (Zo["o]l.) any wild bird, especially any of those considered as game birds. Wild goose (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of undomesticated geese, especially the Canada goose ( Branta Canadensis), the European bean goose, and the graylag. See Graylag, and Bean goose, under Bean. Wild goose chase, the pursuit of something unattainable, or of something as unlikely to be caught as the wild goose. --Shak. Wild honey, honey made by wild bees, and deposited in trees, rocks, the like. Wild hyacinth. (Bot.) See Hyacinth, 1 (b) . Wild Irishman (Bot.), a thorny bush ( Discaria Toumatou) of the Buckthorn family, found in New Zealand, where the natives use the spines in tattooing. Wild land.

         1. Land not cultivated, or in a state that renders it unfit for cultivation.

         2. Land which is not settled and cultivated. Wild licorice. (Bot.) See under Licorice. Wild mammee (Bot.), the oblong, yellowish, acid fruit of a tropical American tree ( Rheedia lateriflora); -- so called in the West Indies. Wild marjoram (Bot.), a labiate plant ( Origanum vulgare) much like the sweet marjoram, but less aromatic. Wild oat. (Bot.)

            1. A tall, oatlike kind of soft grass ( Arrhenatherum avenaceum).

            2. See Wild oats, under Oat. Wild pieplant (Bot.), a species of dock ( Rumex hymenosepalus) found from Texas to California. Its acid, juicy stems are used as a substitute for the garden rhubarb. Wild pigeon. (Zo["o]l.)

               1. The rock dove.

               2. The passenger pigeon. Wild pink (Bot.), an American plant ( Silene Pennsylvanica) with pale, pinkish flowers; a kind of catchfly. Wild plantain (Bot.), an arborescent endogenous herb ( Heliconia Bihai), much resembling the banana. Its leaves and leaf sheaths are much used in the West Indies as coverings for packages of merchandise. Wild plum. (Bot.)

                  1. Any kind of plum growing without cultivation.

                  2. The South African prune. See under Prune.

                     Wild rice. (Bot.) See Indian rice, under Rice.

                     Wild rosemary (Bot.), the evergreen shrub Andromeda polifolia. See Marsh rosemary, under Rosemary.

                     Wild sage. (Bot.) See Sagebrush.

                     Wild sarsaparilla (Bot.), a species of ginseng ( Aralia nudicaulis) bearing a single long-stalked leaf.

                     Wild sensitive plant (Bot.), either one of two annual leguminous herbs ( Cassia Cham[ae]crista, and Cassia nictitans), in both of which the leaflets close quickly when the plant is disturbed.

                     Wild service.(Bot.) See Sorb.

                     Wild Spaniard (Bot.), any one of several umbelliferous plants of the genus Aciphylla, natives of New Zealand. The leaves bear numerous bayonetlike spines, and the plants form an impenetrable thicket.

                     Wild turkey. (Zo["o]l.) See 2d Turkey.

Cherry \Cher"ry\ (ch[e^]r"r[y^]), n. [OE. chery, for cherys, fr. F. cerise (cf. AS. cyrs cherry), fr. LL. ceresia, fr. L. cerasus Cherry tree, Gr. keraso`s, perh. fr. ke`ras horn, from the hardness of the wood.]

1. (Bot.) A tree or shrub of the genus Prunus (Which also includes the plum) bearing a fleshy drupe with a bony stone;

   1. The common garden cherry ( Prunus Cerasus), of which several hundred varieties are cultivated for the fruit, some of which are, the begarreau, blackheart, black Tartarian, oxheart, morelle or morello, May-duke (corrupted from M['e]doc in France).

   2. The wild cherry; as, Prunus serotina (wild black cherry), valued for its timber; Prunus Virginiana (choke cherry), an American shrub which bears astringent fruit; Prunus avium and Prunus Padus, European trees (bird cherry).

2. The fruit of the cherry tree, a drupe of various colors and flavors.

3. The timber of the cherry tree, esp. of the black cherry, used in cabinetmaking, etc.

4. A peculiar shade of red, like that of a cherry. Barbadoes cherry. See under Barbadoes. Cherry bird (Zo["o]l.), an American bird; the cedar bird; -- so called from its fondness for cherries. Cherry bounce, cherry brandy and sugar. Cherry brandy, brandy in which cherries have been steeped. Cherry laurel (Bot.), an evergreen shrub ( Prunus Lauro-cerasus) common in shrubberies, the poisonous leaves of which have a flavor like that of bitter almonds. Cherry pepper (Bot.), a species of Capsicum ( Capsicum cerasiforme), with small, scarlet, intensely piquant cherry-shaped fruit. Cherry pit.

   1. A child's play, in which cherries are thrown into a hole.
      --Shak.

   2. A cherry stone.

      Cherry rum, rum in which cherries have been steeped.

      Cherry sucker (Zo["o]l.), the European spotted flycatcher ( Musicapa grisola); -- called also cherry chopper cherry snipe.

      Cherry tree, a tree that bears cherries.

      Ground cherry, Winter cherry, See Alkekengi.

Prunus serotina, commonly called black cherry, wild black cherry, rum cherry, or mountain black cherry, is a woody plant species belonging to the genus Prunus. The species is widespread and common in North America and South America.

A mature black cherry can easily be identified in a forest by its very broken, dark grey to black bark, which has the appearance of very thick, burnt cornflakes. However, for about the first decade or so of its life, the bark is thin, smooth, and striped, resembling that of a birch. It can also quickly be identified by its long, shiny leaves resembling those of a sourwood, and by an almond-like odor released when a young twig is scratched and held close to the nose.

Black cherry is closely related to the chokecherry (Prunus virginiana); chokecherry, however, is classified as a shrub or small tree and has smaller, less glossy leaves.

• Prunus serotina var. alabamensis (C. Mohr) Little -southeastern United States
• Prunus serotina subsp. capuli (Cav. ex Spreng.) McVaugh - central + southern Mexico, Central America, South America as far south as Argentina
• Prunus serotina subsp. eximia (Small) McVaugh - Texas
• Prunus serotina subsp. hirsuta (Elliott) McVaugh - Georgia
• Prunus serotina var. rufula (Wooton & Standl.) McVaugh - southwestern United States, northern + central Mexico
• Prunus serotina subsp. serotina - Canada, United States, Mexico, Guatemala
• Prunus serotina var. serotina - Canada, United States, Mexico, Guatemala
• Prunus serotina subsp. virens (Wooton & Standl.) McVaugh