Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades oblong or oval, short-pointed at the tip, tapering to the base, up to 6 inches long and 1/3 as broad, finely toothed along the edges, green, smooth, and shiny on the upper surface, paler and smooth on the lower surface except for rusty hairs along the veins, leafstalks slender, slightly less than 1 inch long, smooth, 1 or more reddish glands near the tip.
Buds: Ovoid, sharp pointed, dark brown, smooth, up to ¼ inch long.
Bark: Thin, smooth, reddish-brown at first, becoming deeply furrowed and black.
Twigs: Slender, smooth, dark brown; leaf scars half-round each with 3 bundle traces.
Flowers: Crowded in showy, drooping, elongated clusters up to 6 inches long, appearing when the leaves are partly grown, each flower is ¼ inch across, with five white petals.
Fruits: Fleshy, juicy, spherical, dark purple, up to ½ inch in diameter.
Wood: Light in weight, hard, strong, close-grained, light reddish-brown.
Uses: Cabinets, interior finishing.
Habitat: Roadsides, fencerows, edge of woods.
Growth Form: Medium tree up to 75 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 3 feet; crown rounded, with ridged branches.
Distinguishing Feature: The Wild Black Cherry is similar to the Choke Berry but usually is a larger tree with thicker leaves and with teeth to curve inward.