wow, i had no clue, thanks for the info!
so are wild cherries what they call "choke cherries"
i remember my old boss and me taking out a whole row of smaller , what he called "choke cherries" on a ladies horse farm because he said they were bad for the animals?
(sorry to hijack)
No, two different species.
Wild black cherry is a medium size to large tree, growing 50-85 feet with a truck size usually in the range of 12-24 inches. The leaves are about 6-12 cm long and slender, with rough bark on mature trees. Choke cherries are considered a tall shrub or small tree, growing 10-30 feet in height, with a trunk diameter in the range of 4-6 inches. The leaves are 5-10 cm long and somewhat wider than black cherry and have smoother bark than black cherry.
Michigan records: black cherry, Van Buren Co., girth: 23.8 feet, diameter: 91 inches, height: 114 feet. Choke cherry, Wayne Co., girth: 86 inches, diameter: 27 inches, height: 73 feet.
Just learned this information last week in my tree and plant identification class.