How to Tell if You Have a Black Tartarian Cherry Tree

The Black Tartarian sweet cherry tree is a Russian species brought to the United States in the early 1800s from England, where British gardener Hugh Ronalds introduced it in 1794. The species produces dark, sweet fruit, and is used as a pollinator for other trees. Confirming that you have a Black Tartarian cherry tree requires that you look at your tree's physical characteristics.

Instructions

- 1
  Check the shape and height of your cherry tree. The Black Tartarian has a pyramidal shape. The dwarf variety stands between 12 and 15 feet, while the standard variety stands greater than 30 feet.
- 2
  Look at the color of the fruit if it is in season. The fruit of Black Tartarian cherry trees is heart shaped and usually has purplish-black skin and deep red, sweet-tasting flesh. The ripe flesh and pit should pull apart without difficulty.
- 3
  Count the number and size of flowers in each flower cluster, if the tree is blooming. The Black Tartarian usually has two to three white, 1 1/4-inch diameter flowers clustered together. Bing cherry trees, in contrast, have 1 to 1 1/2-inch diameter blooms in clusters that can have up to five flowers.
- 4
  Pull a leaf from the tree to check its shape and size, and then look at the distribution of the leaves on the branches. Black Tartarian cherry trees typically have thin, 5 1/2-inch, waxy, dark green, egg-shaped leaves, with sharp and blunted teeth along the edges, and a pointed tip. The leaf distribution alternates along the branch.

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