And here is a picture of the sucker. The trunk split has been there for years, but has gotten larger over time.

Vince

Most ornamental cherries are budded or grafted onto an understock. The sucker is almost certainly coming from the understock. It will not be the same as the cherry you've had. Is there any chance that this cherry was not grafted and the suckers will be identical to the original tree? Yes, but the chances are very remote.

what he said...

i wouldnt be surprised.. if you checked close.. that the leaves arent even the same ...

its a goner.... in tree years.. that might be 5 to 10 years ... and speed might be a function of the knockout punch ma nature gives it this winter ...

my 20 year old kwanza ?? is doing the same thing ...

ken

Thanks. It's gone to the burn pile.

vince