Black cherry, also called rum cherry, is a native species valuable for its rich, reddish-brown wood. It grows best on deep moist, fertile soils in eastern Nebraska. The wood is used in fine furniture and the cherries are used in jellies and wine. The cherries are excellent bird food during mid-summer. Black cherry does not grow naturally in pure stands. It should be planted either in wildlife habitat for a bushy large tree or with other species like walnut in a forest plantation.