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Rosaceae FAMILY

Prunus cerasus

Prunus cerasus

Edibility
4/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

The plant (especially the seed and young shoots) contains cyanogenic glycosides, especially amygdalin and prunasin. When injested, these compounds break down in the digestive tract to release cyanide. Used in small quantities in both traditional and conventional medicine, this exceedingly poisonous compound has been shown to stimulate respiration, improve digestion, and promote a sense of well-being[1]. It is also claimed by some to be of benefit in the treatment of cancer - though this claim has been largely refuted. In larger concentrations, however, cyanide can cause gasping, weakness, excitement, pupil dilation, spasms, convulsions, coma and respiratory failure leading to death[2]. The fruits and flowers of most members of this genus generally have low or very low concentrations of this toxin, though the seeds and young shoots can contain much higher levels. The levels of toxin can be detected by the level of bitterness:- for example sweet tasting almond seeds are a major food crop and are often eaten in quantity, whilst bitter tasting almond seeds are used as a flavouring (in marzipan for example) but are not usually eaten on their own. In general, it can be considered safe to eat any fruit or seed from species in this genus that either have a sweet flavour or are slightly bitter. Great caution should be taken, however, if the flavour is moderately to very bitter[PFAF].

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Tree
Growth—

Prunus cerasus is fairly cold-hardy, tolerating temperatures down to about -20°c when fully dormant[3]. Thrives in a well-drained moisture-retentive loamy soil[4, 5]. Prefers some lime in the soil but is likely to become chlorotic if too much lime is present[6]. Prefers an acid soil according to another report[7]. Succeeds in sun or partial shade though it fruits better in a sunny position[4, 5]. Plants are succeeding in a fairly exposed maritime position at Rosewarne in N. Cornwall[PFAF]. The sour cherry has long been cultivated for its edible fruit, there are many named varieties[6, 8]. The species is believed to have originated as a natural hybrid between Prunus avium and Prunus fruticosa in the Iranian Plateau or Eastern Europe where the two species come into contact. Prunus fruticosa is believed to have provided its smaller size and its sour tasting fruit. The hybrids then stabilised and interbred to form a new, distinct species from which, over time, many cultivars have been selected. The various cultivars have been classified into groups by different authors, often placing these groups as different subspecies. There does not, however, appear to be a generally accepted taxonomy for these groups. The following is probably the mose widely accepting grouping:- Austera Group. These have dark red fruits. The best known variety here is the 'Morello' cherry which is often grown on a garden scale. It is particularly renowned for its late flowering and ability to produce a good crop even when it is grown against a shady wall and recieves little direct sunlight. Amarelle or Caproniana Group. (syn Prunus acida Ehrh., Prunus caproniana (L.) Gaudin) These have lighter red fruits than the austera group. They include the various forms of the 'Kentish Red' cherry and the Amarelle cherry Frutescens Group. (syn Cerasus collina Lejeune & Cortois). Smaller growing with a shrubby, suckering habit. Various orchard varieties are cultivated in the Soviet Union, including the old variety known as 'Ostheim'. The dark red fruit is somewhat smaller than average (around 10mm in diameter) with a dark juice and a pleasant acid flavour[4, 9]. Marasca. (Syn Cerasus marasca Host) The Maraschino cherry is a vigorous tree, found especially around the town of Zadar in Croatia. The fruits are employed in the manufacture of the famous Maraschino liqueur[4]. Montmorency. Probably a form of the Amarelle cherry, it is often grown on a commercial basis in Michigan and Wisconsin[10]. Most forms have light red fruits, though some trees produce darker fruits. It is very popular for use in cherry pies and for making a juice concentrate with purported health benefits. Semperflorens. (syn Prunus semperflorens Ehrh.). Now recognized as a cultivar, it is a small, very elegant round-headed tree, with pendent, slender branches and curiously clustered twigs. It produces a small crop of blossom in the middle of spring, and then a second flowering that continues through most of the summer. The fruit is acid, but pleasantly flavoured. Cultivars of Prunus cerasus with doubled flowers are used as landscape ornamentals[10]. Unlike sweet cherry, all widely grown varieties of sour cherry are self-fertile[10]. Many cultivars will succeed on a wall that recieves little direct sunlight[11]. Most members of this genus are shallow-rooted and will produce suckers if the roots are damaged[1]. Plants produce suckers freely[3]. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[5].

Propagation

Seed - requires 2 - 3 months cold stratification and is best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe[5]. Sow stored seed in a cold frame as early in the year as possible[5]. Protect the seed from mice etc. The seed can be rather slow, sometimes taking 18 months to germinate[12]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Grow them on in a greenhouse or cold frame for their first winter and plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood with a heel, mid summer in a frame[12]. Softwood cuttings from strongly growing plants in spring to early summer in a frame. Layering in spring. Division of suckers during the dormant season. They can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Prunus+cerasus>

Pollinators

Bees, Insects

References

  1. [1]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
  2. [2]Poisonous Plants of North Carolina — http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/poison.htm ↩︎An excellent concise but comprehensive guide to toxic plants that grow in N. Carolina. It lists even those plants that are of very low toxicity, including several well-known food plants such as carrots and potatoes.
  3. [3]Shrubs. — Phillips. R. & Rix. M. · Pan Books · 1989 · ISBN 0-330-30258-2 ↩︎Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1,900 species and cultivars.
  4. [4]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  5. [5]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  6. [6]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  7. [7]Food for Free. — Mabey. R. · Collins · 1974 · ISBN 0-00-219060-5 ↩︎Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.
  8. [8]Flora Europaea — ? · Cambridge University Press · 1964 · ISBN - ↩︎An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for Europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.
  9. [9]Flora of the USSR. — Komarov. V. L. · Israel Program for Scientific Translation · 1968 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org · ISBN - ↩︎An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  10. [10]Flora of N. America — http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ ↩︎An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
  11. [11]Gardening on Walls — Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. · Collins · 1983 · ISBN 0-00-219220-0 ↩︎A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.
  12. [12]The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. — Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. · Athens Ga. Varsity Press · 1987 · ISBN 0942375009 ↩︎A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.
  13. [13]Flora of the British Isles. — Clapham, Tutin and Warburg. · Cambridge University Press · 1962 · ISBN - ↩︎A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
  14. [14]Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. — Hedrick. U. P. · Dover Publications · 1972 · ISBN 0-486-20459-6 ↩︎Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
  15. [15]Britain's Wild Larder. — Loewenfeld. C. and Back. P. · David & Charles; Newton Abbot. · ISBN 0-7153-7971-2 ↩︎A handy pocket guide.
  16. [16]Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications · 1990 · ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 ↩︎Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
  17. [17]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  18. [18]A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. — Usher. G. · Constable · 1974 · ISBN 0094579202 ↩︎Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
  19. [19]Vegetable Gums and Resins. — Howes. F. N. · Faber · ISBN 81-88818-17-8 ↩︎A very good book dealing with the subject in a readable way.
  20. [20]Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). — Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. · Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. · 1986 · ISBN - ↩︎Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.
  21. [21]Native American Ethnobotany — Moerman. D. · Timber Press. Oregon. · 1998 · ISBN 0-88192-453-9 ↩︎Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
  22. [22]Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. — Grae. I. · MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. · 1974 · ISBN 0-02-544950-8 ↩︎A very good and readable book on dyeing.
  23. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎