Wild cherry grows in the woods and other open places. Its range extends from Nova Scotia to Florida and westward from Texas to South Dakota. The trunk is straight, bark rough black, young branches smooth and reddish brown, fine grained and hard. The leaves are thick and oval, 2 to 5 inches long; smooth and shining, bright green above and somewhat hairy on the veins beneath, toothed. The clusters of white flowers borne at the ends of leafy branches are somewhat drooping. The cherries ripen in August and September are globular, very dark purple or black, about the size of a pea and have a sweet astringent taste that puckers the mouth. The outside layer of the bark should be removed, the green layer is then stripped off and carefully dried. Young thick bark is the best.It is a herbal expectorant that helps to loosen phlegm and expel it from the throat, lungs and chest, as well as clear bronchial tubes. It has been used for centuries to treat pulmonary conditions such as bronchitis, asthma, dry coughs, tuberculosis, scrofula and catarrh. Furthermore, its antitussive, cough-suppressant qualities have been beneficial in cases of whooping cough, nervous and chronic coughs, colds and influenza; and for that reason, it is, of course, familiar to all of us in cough drops and cough syrups

Features include:

•Wild cherry grows in the woods and other open places.
•The trunk is straight, bark rough black, young branches smooth and reddish brown, fine grained and hard.
•The leaves are thick and oval.