Oval, dull, dark green leaves to 6 inches long turn yellow in fall. Birds and squirrels love the fruit, and are undoubtedly in part responsible for the naturalization of this tree from gardens into the wild in eastern and Midwestern North America. Avium is from the Latin word for bird. The hard, reddish-brown wood (cherry wood) is valued as a hardwood for woodturning, making cabinets and musical instruments.

Leaf: Alternate, simple, 2 to 5 inches long, oval to obovate, serrated margin (slightly rounded teeth), obvious darkened glands on petiole, generally with more than 8 pairs of veins. Yellow fall color. Flower: Showy, fragrant, white, 1 inch across, 3 to 5 per cluster, appearing early spring. Fruit: Sweet, dark red to nearly black drupe, 1/2 to 1 inch across, may be clustered on spur shoots; matures early to mid summer.

Twig: Medium textured, gray-brown, with a mild bitter almond taste; buds large (up to 1/4 inch), reddish brown; spur shoots present with multiple terminal buds. Bark: Gray-brown, smooth, with prominant, long horizontal lenticels, often peels. Form: A medium sized deciduous fruiting tree, generally to 50 feet, with a broadly rounded crown.