=6. Prunus serótina= Ehrhart. Wild Cherry. Cherry. =Wild Black Cherry.= Plate 104. Medium to large sized trees; bark of young trees smooth, becoming on old trees irregularly fissured and separating in small scaly plates; twigs slender and smooth, sometimes pubescent while young; leaves oval, oblong-oval, ovate or narrowly ovate, generally 5-12 cm. long and 2-4 cm. wide, generally narrowed at the base, sometimes rounded, short or long acuminate at the apex, margin finely serrate with incurved sharp callous teeth, smooth above and below, sometimes slightly pubescent beneath while young; flowers appear in May, when the leaves are almost grown, on the ends of the year's growth, in racemes generally 5-10 cm. long; fruit ripens in July and August, globose, about 6-10 mm. in diameter, dark red to almost black. =Distribution.=--Nova Scotia to South Dakota, south to Florida and west to Texas. Found in all parts of Indiana. It prefers a moist loose soil and is usually found with beech, sugar maple, tulip, white ash and white oak. In the original forest it was a rare to a frequent tree, and only rarely and locally did it ever become common. It grew to be several feet in diameter and was as tall as the highest trees of the forest. The trunk of the tree, however, was inclined to be crooked. It has now become a frequent tree along fences. =Remarks.=--The wood of wild cherry from pioneer times has been a favorite wood, and for this reason the tree soon disappeared and today large trees are very rare. The wood is strong, close-grained, reddish-brown, and very much resembles mahogany. In value it stands second in Indiana woods. It is used principally for furniture, office and store fixtures. The wild cherry grows readily from seed; is not difficult to transplant; adapts itself to almost all kinds of soils and grows rapidly. In Spring it is one of the very first trees to put out its leaves. It is not shade enduring, which no doubt, in a great measure, accounts for its rarity in the primeval forests. When grown in the open the tree usually produces an abundance of fruit which is much relished by birds. This species has many good features, and might be used to advantage in forest planting. =CAESALPINÀCEAE.= The Senna Family. Leaves simple; flowers pink; seed pod papery 1 Cercis. Leaves compound; flowers not pink; seed pod woody or leathery. Trees with thorns; stamens 3-5, longer than the corolla; pods flat and leathery; seeds about 1 cm. (1/2 inch) long 2 Gleditsia. Trees without thorns; stamens 10, shorter than the corolla; pods swollen, woody; seeds about 2 cm. (1 inch) long 3 Gymnocladus. =1. CÉRCIS.= The Redbud.