Japanese Red Leaf Black Cherry (Prunus serrula): Ornamental, Not Edible

The Japanese Red Leaf Black Cherry (a cultivar of Prunus serrula, Tibetan Cherry) is grown primarily for its striking ornamental features:

• Bark: Glossy, coppery-brown, peeling in horizontal strips—stunning in winter.
• Foliage: Emerges red-bronze, matures to deep green, turns yellow-orange in autumn.
• Flowers: Small white blossoms in spring.
• Fruit: Tiny (1 cm), black, bitter cherries—not considered edible for humans (minimal flesh, astringent, possibly mildly toxic if consumed in quantity). Birds eat them.

Use this tree as a specimen plant for year-round bark interest and seasonal color—not for fruit production.