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Cherry Tree
Cherry tree classification
All the various Cherry tree species belong to the genus Prunus in the family Rosaceae. Prunus is a large genus where you can find not only Cherry trees, but Plum trees, Peach trees, Apricot trees and several other well known tree types. Since the genus Prunus is so wide, it is sometimes divided into seven different subgenera. The ordinary Cherry trees belong to the subgenus Cerasus while the dwarf Cherries belong to the subgenus Lithocerasus. |
Examples of commonly known Cherry tree species are Wild Cherry tree (Prunus avium), Sour Cherry tree (Prunus cerasus), Bitter Cherry(Prunus emarginata), Saint Lucie Cherry (Prunus mahaleb), Pin Cherry (Prunus pensylvanica) and Japanese Cherry (Prunus serrulata).
Cherry tree flowers
Cherry trees produce and abundance of beautiful flowers that are appreciated world wide. The interest in cherry tree flowers is however particularly strong in Japan where the delicate cherry tree blossoms have become a symbol for the ephemeral nature of all living things. Cherry tree blossoms are often included in traditional decorative art, and can for instance be seen embroidered on kimonos and depicted on stationary. The most popular ornamental cherry tree in Japan is Prunus serrulata, a species referred to as Sakura in Japanese. Sakura is also a popular female name. In English, Prunus serrulata is known as Japanese cherry tree, East Asian cherry tree and Oriental cherry tree. Sakura is an imperative part of the annual Hanami festival in Japan.
Cherry tree fruits
Cherry trees are often grown in gardens and orchards since they produce beautiful flowers and delicious fruits. The cherry trees most commonly cultivated for their edible fruits hails from two species of wild cherry tree. Both species grow wild in Europe and in the western parts of Asia. Several other species of Cherry tree have edible fruit, but they are not commonly grown for their fruits.
The Wild Cherry (Prunus avium) is the species from which the Sweet Cherry has been cultivated. Sweet cherries are often eaten directly from the tree. The Sour Cherry tree (Prunus cerasus) produces sour fruits that are used for jam making, cherry soups, cherry pies and similar. These fruits are seldom eaten directly from the tree; most people find them too sour and prefer to enjoy them when they have undergone some form of preparation.
Sour cherry tree
The Sour cherry tree (Prunus cerasus) will typically reach a height of 4-10 metres. The branches are twiggy and the fruit colour varies from deep crimson to nearly black. The Sour cherry three have been cultivated since ancient times. Greek sources do for instance mention Sour cherry trees that grow around the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea in 300 BC. The Romans were highly found of sour cherries and around 1st century AD, Sour cherry trees planted by Romans were already growing in Britain. During the first part of the 20th century, over 50 different Sour cherry tree cultivars were grown Britain. Today, only a fraction of these are being commercially grown. If you want to grow a traditional Sour cherry tree cultivar, you can for instance plant 'Kentish Red', 'Griottes' or 'Amarelles'.
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Cherry Trees
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