In article ,
LEPS-L wrote:

I am looking for a supplier of Black Cherry--I think! There is a plant which
grows in northern IL that I believe is Prunus serotina, Black Cherry. It is
listed as a tree, but what I seem to encounter at the forest preserves and
parks is more bush-like. It grows about 15' tall and the root system must
sprout multiple stems so that it appears bush-like. The leaves are about 4
inches long and dark green and glossy on top. The underside of the leaf is
lighter green. They seem to be extremely resistant to fungus and other forms
of predation. I have never seen the cherries on them, and clippings do not
take root. If anyone thinks it is another type of plant (Prunus sp. I am
sure) I'd like to know what you think it is, and where I might try to get
some. None of the typical plant supplier or greenhouses have it around me.
Thanks so much!

There are many wild Prunus spp in eastern North America. Even up here,
at the limit of their range, there are at least six of them. To make it
more complicated, the same species may have more than one growth form.
In eastern Ontario, for example, P.serotina occurs as rare trees of good
size (20-30cm diameter trunks) and large patches of scrubby brush less
than a meter high and heavily infected with black knot disease.

Probably the easiest way to distinguish these Prunus spp is by their
blossoms, different species having very different forms. They all bloom
early, well before they leaf out. The 'plum' spp, like P. americana,
bloom the earliest, even before the grass greens up.

It's also possible that the plants you are seeing aren't native.
A number of European and Asian spp have been introduced and gone wild,
seeds being spread by birds, notably the Nanking cherry. There are also
some selections and hybrids of NA spp that are propagated as ornamentals,
notably the Shubert chokecherry.

I suggest you find a reference on spp found in your area, and start
checking the plants early in the spring to catch them in bloom.
Your state government may have a booklet or website with the information.