Sacred Tree Profile: The Magic, Mythology, Medicine, and Meaning of Cherry (Prunus serotina)
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When most people imagine cherry trees, they picture cultivated varieties yielding plump, juicy red or purple fruit. Here in the United States, however, we are home to a range of wild cherries that form a rich and woven part of our natural heritage. One particularly enigmatic species found throughout eastern North and South America is Prunus serotina—commonly known as wild cherry, black cherry, mountain black cherry, or rum cherry. Many encounter this tree not in its living form, but through its beautiful reddish-brown heartwood, frequently used in furniture and flooring. Yet the black cherry offers far more than just timber.
Although this post focuses on the black cherry, much of the information can apply to any local cherry tree—including domesticated varieties—as well as other wild cherries native to the U.S. East Coast, such as Prunus avium (wild sweet cherry) and Prunus virginiana (chokecherry). As truly American trees, wild cherries of the Prunus genus deserve recognition as part of our magical landscape.
Butterfly on chokecherry
This article is part of my Sacred Trees in the Americas series, which explores trees within a distinctly American context, incorporating folklore, herbalism, magic, and ecological insight. I believe it is essential for U.S. Druids and others following nature-centered paths to understand how local trees can be just as magical as those from European traditions. Previous entries in this series include Juniper, Birch, Elder, Walnut, Eastern White Cedar, Hemlock, Sugar Maple, Hawthorn, Hickory, Beech, Ash, White Pine, and Oak. Now, let’s turn our attention to the Black Cherry.
Black Cherry Growth and Ecology
The black cherry is a medium-sized tree commonly found along forest edges. While young trees are shade-tolerant, mature specimens prefer full sun, often pioneering the expansion of forest boundaries. Due to their lateral, fibrous root systems—rather than a deep taproot—cherries are susceptible to being uprooted in strong winds. They typically live between 150 and 200 years and thrive in dry or mesic forest habitats. Here in Western Pennsylvania, black cherries are abundant, frequently growing in mixed oak-beech hardwood forests, hickory-oak woodlands, and along the borders of hemlock stands.
Identification varies with age. Leaves are 2–5 inches long, finely toothed, and ovate-lancelate (elongated oval with pointed tips). Young trees feature dark, smooth bark marked by horizontal lighter brown bands. Mature trees develop very dark gray, brown, or nearly black bark with a rough texture, though banding often remains visible. A distinctive almond scent—characteristic of cherries—is released when leaves are crushed or branches broken, a trait we’ll return to later.
Young and mature black cherry trees
Black cherries support a variety of wildlife. Birds, butterflies, and moths rely on them for food and habitat. The eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly lays its eggs individually on the leaves, and the tree also hosts caterpillars such as the red-spotted purple and the coral hairstreak. Unfortunately, it is also favored by the destructive eastern tent caterpillar, which can defoliate trees—though cherries typically recover the following year. When in bloom, the tree provides nectar for bees, wasps, and butterflies; when fruiting, it feeds raccoons, rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels, bears, and many bird species.
Wood and Other Uses
Cherry wood is widely valued for interior finishing, furniture, toolmaking, and flooring. Its straight grain and rich reddish-brown hue make it a favorite among woodworkers. It is softer than oak but firmer than maple, striking a balance between workability and durability.
The berries can be used to produce a purple-blue ink or dye, as described previously on this blog. Like most berry-based dyes, it lacks strong lightfastness, though using alum as a mordant can improve its durability. Although berries are often abundant, they can be challenging to harvest from taller trees.
The pits (seeds) are commonly eaten by wildlife. At the base of an older tree, you may find dried, brown seed halves, which can be drilled and used as beads in natural crafts.
Cherry Leaves and Cyanide
The cherry tree presents a fascinating duality: while the fruit and inner bark are edible and medicinal, much of the rest of the tree is highly toxic. Cherry leaves and pits contain hydrocyanic acid, detectable by their bitter almond aroma when crushed. Wilting leaves release cyanide, making them extremely poisonous to humans and livestock such as goats and sheep. In fact, the prevalence of black cherry on our property led us to reconsider keeping goats for brush control—just a handful of wilted leaves can be fatal to an adult goat. Clearly, the tree’s toxicity demands respect.
Foraging for Cherries
Despite their poisonous foliage, black cherries are a delicious, nutrient-rich wild food, high in antioxidants. As Sam Thayer notes in The Forager’s Harvest, berries are best harvested when overripe and deep purple. Flavor varies significantly between trees—some taste almost like cultivated cherries, while others are unpleasantly bitter. I recommend sampling from different trees before harvesting in quantity. Even slightly bitter fruit can be balanced with sweetness in jellies and other preserves.
Like other members of the rose family (e.g., apples and peaches), cherry pits contain hydrocyanic acid and should be removed during preparation. Cooking, mashing, and straining is an effective method.
Bitterness can be mitigated with sugar, though jams and jellies may retain a subtle bitter note, which I find complements meats and fish nicely while aiding digestion. A classic recipe from Euell Gibbons’ Stalking the Wild Asparagus involves making cherry jelly with added apple juice for better flavor. Combine quarts of black cherries with one cup water, add sliced unripe apples (or commercial pectin), simmer for 30 minutes, and strain. Mix two cups each of cherry and apple juice with four cups sugar (adjustable with Pomona’s pectin or honey), boil until jelled, and process in a water bath.
Nelson Coon, in Using Wayside Plants, distinguishes Prunus serotina (wild cherry) from P. virginiana (chokecherry) by the latter’s more pointed leaves, acidic fruit, and shorter clusters. Both make excellent jellies, though chokecherries tend to be more bitter. Sam Thayer recommends refrigerating harvested black cherries for two days to reduce astringency before processing into jelly or fruit leather.
Cherry as Medicine
According to Matthew Wood’s Earth Wise Herbal: New World Herbs, wild cherry was considered an “indispensable” medicine by both pioneers and Native Americans in the 19th century, ranking among the most widely used native herbs. Wood describes it as a sedative, particularly for the circulatory system, and especially useful for persistent coughs, lung irritation, bronchitis, and pleurisy. The inner bark, preferably harvested in spring when cyanide compounds are lowest, is recommended. Though it contains trace amounts of cyanide, medicinal short-term use is considered safe.
Many herbalists use prussic acid from wild cherry as a go-to remedy for coughs. A simple syrup can be made by simmering ½ cup chopped inner bark in one pint water for 30 minutes, straining, cooling, and adding raw honey. I freeze this in ice cube trays for future use. Alternatively, a strong tea can be made from freshly harvested or dried bark. I have found this remedy as effective as over-the-counter medicines.
Euell Gibbons offers another recipe in Stalking the Wild Asparagus: combine one cup each of red clover blossoms, white pine needles (preferably new growth), and mullein leaves, plus ½ cup wild cherry inner bark. Boil in a quart of water for 20 minutes, strain, add one pint honey, and can. (I prefer adding raw honey after cooling to preserve its medicinal properties.)
Magic of the Cherry Tree in Global Traditions
Cherry trees hold a modest place in Western magical traditions, particularly those of European origin—unsurprising, given that Prunus serotina is native to North America.
In European lore, cherry is rarely depicted as a powerful tree. For instance, in Charles Squire’s Celtic Myth and Legend, the Battle of Godeu (or Battle of the Trees) describes how many trees—like oak, hawthorn, heather, and holly—fought valiantly, while the cherry was broken in the struggle. This tale also appears in the Book of Taliesin.
Where the cherry does appear magically, it is often tied to love, emotion, and romance—a theme consistent in both European and American folk magic. Nicholas Culpepper assigned cherry to Venus in his herbal. In American Hoodoo, according to Cat Yronwode’s Hoodoo Root and Herb Magic, cherry is used in love-drawing spells, mojo bags, oils, and dressed candles. An old grimoire also mentions using “essences of the cherry tree” to attract desire. Interestingly, some Native American talking sticks are made from cherry wood and associated with expression and love. Still, cherry trees do not feature prominently in most Indigenous myths I’ve encountered—occasionally appearing in stories where someone eats a cherry or comments on its unsuitability for bow-making.
Another American grimoire, John George Hoffman’s The Long Lost Friend (1820)—a key text in PA Dutch Braucherei—includes a charm using cherry twigs to treat “poll-evil” in horses (an infection at the base of the skull). The ritual involves collecting three twigs at different times, wrapping them in cloth, cleaning the wound, and applying them in a specific manner.
In contrast, cherry symbolism is profound in Eastern cultures. In Japan, sakura (cherry blossoms) embody “mono no aware”—the awareness of life’s transience and a wistful appreciation of its beauty. Blossoms inspire reflection on impermanence. Myths such as that of the Holy Cherry Tree of Musubi-no-Kami Shrine further associate the tree with love.
Meanings and Magic for North America
Synthesizing the ecological, medicinal, practical, and mythological threads, we can identify three core meanings for the cherry tree in North America:
Love and Romance: American traditions consistently associate cherry with love—drawing it, sustaining it, and inspiring romance.
A small grove of cherries on the edge of the homestead
Fragility and Impermanence: Japanese symbolism resonates with the cherry’s ecological reality. Its wilting leaves produce deadly cyanide, reminding us of life’s fragility.
Dual Nature: The cherry tree embodies nature’s capacity for both healing and harm. It offers one of the best natural medicines in the Americas, yet also one of its most potent poisons. This duality mirrors broader natural forces—the ocean, for example, provides sustenance but also destruction. Nature is neither good nor evil; it simply is. Knowledge and conditions determine whether it becomes a tool or a threat.