Black cherry-Prunus serotina Ehrh.-Poisonous plant

Black cherry

General poisoning notes:

Black cherry (Prunus serotina) is a native tree found in eastern Canada. It is occasionally cultivated as an ornamental. The plant contains chemicals that can release hydrogen cyanide in animals. All types of animals can be poisoned by ingesting leaves and twigs. There have been claims of children dying after ingesting an excessive number of seeds, found in the berries. Cyanide poisoning interferes with respiration and blood circulation; death is often swift (Kingsbury 1964, Cheeke 1983, Cheeke and Schull 1985).

Nomenclature:

Scientific Name: Prunus serotina Ehrh.

Vernacular name(s): black cherry

Scientific family name: Rosaceae

Vernacular family name: rose

Geographic Information

New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec

Notes on Poisonous plant parts:

The leaves of black cherry contain on average of 212 mg hydrocyanic acid (HCN) per 100 g of fresh leaves. A lethal dose of HCN for humans is between 0.5 and 0.35 mg/kg of body weight. The lethal dose of HCN for cattle and sheep is about 2.0 mg/kg of body weight (Kingsbury 1964).

Toxic parts:

Leaves, seeds, twigs

Notes on Toxic plant chemicals:

Two cyanogenic glycosides are found in black cherry. Amygdalin and prunasin are found in the leaves, twigs, and seeds (Cheeke and Schull 1985). Hydrogen cyanide is formed when the glycosides are hydrolyzed by plant enzymes after damage or by rumen organisms. Majak et al. (1990) found that cyanide production is most rapid in cattle that had been starved for a day. High rates of cyanide production were obtained in the rumen after the animal ingested fresh alfalfa and cubed alfalfa hay.

Toxic plant chemicals:

amygdalin, prunasin

Chemical diagram(s) are courtesy of Ruth McDiarmid, Biochemistry Technician, Kamloops Range Station, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Kamploops, British Columbia, Canada.

Animals/Human Poisoning:

Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.

Cattle

General symptoms of poisoning:

Breathing, labored, death by asphyxiation, gait, staggering, muscle spasms, pupil dilation

Notes on poisoning:

Symptoms of cyanide poisoning are common to all animals. Symptoms may be minimal, with difficult breathing followed by death. Other signs of toxicity may include a short period of stimulation followed by slow pulse, dilated pupils, spasms, staggering, loss of consciousness, and death, which results from asphyxiation. Postmortem findings include bright red blood and congestion of internal organs (Kingsbury 1964, Scimeca and Oehme 1985).

Horses

General symptoms of poisoning:

Breathing, labored, coma, death by asphyxiation, dyspnea, gait, staggering, muscle spasms, paralysis

Notes on poisoning:

See notes under cattle for more information.

Humans

General symptoms of poisoning:

Abdominal pains, coma, death, lethargy, sweating, vomiting
Notes on poisoning:

Ingesting large quantities of berries has caused poisoning, because of the toxin in the seeds. Children have been poisoned by chewing twigs or drinking tea made from the leaves. Symptoms include difficult breathing, voice paralysis, twitching, spasms, coma of short duration, and death. Cyanide poisoning can occur quickly, with few symptoms (Hardin and Arena 1969).

Sheep

General symptoms of poisoning:

Breathing, labored, coma, convulsions, death by asphyxiation, gait, staggering, muscle spasms, paralysis, unconsciousness.

Notes on poisoning:

See notes under cattle for more information.

Swine

General symptoms of poisoning:

Limbs, lateral rotation.