Prunus serotina

Yeah, it's Black Cherry. They're a somewhat weedy native here on the gulf coast, but certainly better than a Tallow tree. Once they get really tall the tops do tend to break off of them, but they keep going unaffected. If there's any mulch or leaf litter beneath it, you'll notice thousands of little seedlings in late spring.

Overall a decent tree, IMHO.

The cons: very messy when the fruit ripens -- drops heavily, stains everything purple, and birds eat it, so you get bombarded with purple stains on siding, vehicles, etc. Tends to be weak, subject to storm damage, and not terribly long lived by tree standards - we lost three large ones in the past decade that were all around 60 years old, had been in some decline with trunk rot issues for a decade at least before that.

The pros: Fast growing, so good if you need something to provide rapid shade. Attractive bark, shiny on younger wood. White spring blossoms are reasonably attractive, although they have a fishy, amine odor. Wood used to be very important in the furniture trade -- I have an antique china cabinet made from this wood, very beautiful rich deep color. Fall foliage color can be decent to good. Usually free -- they spout prolifically as noted above -- I suppose someone must sell them, but usually volunteers are easy to come by if someone really wants one.

Thanks,driving around today I did notice a few oaks with deeply lobed leaves that were a beautiful ruby red. They looked nice! But mostly I see the Tallows and BP- they shine in so many colors- too bad they're problematic. I did ask about a tree on here- an ash that was a clear yellow. It would be nice. Mostly the trees are a dull yellow or dull golden.
Has anyone actually tried one of the other "improved" Callery pears? They had 'Cleveland' at Lowe's and I do admit they branch differently- still it may just lengthen the suffering. If I move to a bigger yard I might try one of the others just to see- away from the house and anything that it could hurt of course!

The problem with the "improved" callery pears is that they will cross pollinate with any existing 'Bradford' pears nearby, causing both trees to produce small viable fruit. This has happened in my area and now there are hundreds and thousands of thorny volunteers popping up in vacant lots, roadsides and even in yards. 'Bradford' pears alone are sterile but they become prolific fruiters when their non-clone cousins move in.

Here is a link that might be useful: Who let the pears out?

Fairfield, if you're wanting good fall color in the deep South you need to get yourself a Southern Sugar Maple (Acer barbatum), mine turns a nice vibrant orange/red every fall. Good clear yellows are from Mockernut Hickory, Pignut Hickory, and Ginkgo. White Oak, Turkey Oak, and Blackgum provide nice reds.

Black cherry can be very hit or miss any particular year even on the same individual. The black cherries in general were outstanding here this past fall.

Here is an unknown weeping variety. The species trees looked similar for the most part. Some even better, some a little less vibrant but you get the idea ;)

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By jp_42_82 at 2011-11-10

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By jp_42_82 at 2011-11-10

On second thought perhaps not a true weeping form, but the foliage is a little more graceful than usual...

My various wild black cherries have always had pendulous branch tips, too. The thin, wispy twigs can't support the full weight, I guess.

Love the bamboo in the background. What kind?

I honestly have no idea. I was cruising town with my camera this fall and took a couple of pics of this specimen. Sorry!

They are a nice tree for quick growth, but in the South they die between 10-15 years. For some reason they don't do so in colder climates like the Appalachians and further north. So for the South it is a trash tree unfortunately (although a native) and in the North it is a very valuable tree.

My parents backdoor neighbor has a 10-15 y/o prunus serotina in their yard and it died and it is hovering over their fence at about 20' in height.