Sour cherry, Morello cherry, Pie cherry
Prunus cerasus

Family: Rosaceae

What it is like

A small deciduous tree. It grows 2-8 m high. It is a broad spreading shape. The bark is purple-brown and has orange lenticels across it. The leaves are oval and have a blunt point. They are 7.5 cm long by 5 cm wide. They are double toothed. The leaf stalks are without glands and are hairless. The buds are cone shaped. They are shiny reddish-brown. The flowers are white and in small long stalked clusters. These are on short leafy shoots. The flowers are 2 cm across. The fruit are 2 cm across. They are bright red to black.

There are about 200 Prunus species. It is a tetraploid plant.

Where it is found

It is a cold temperate plant. In the Indian Himalayas it grows between 3,000-3,500 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 3-9.

Countries/locations it is found in

Afghanistan, Africa, Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Asia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Balkans, Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, Caucasus, Central Asia, Croatia, Czech, Denmark, East Africa, Ecuador, Estonia, Europe, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Himalayas, Hungary, India, Indochina, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Mediterranean, Moldova, North America, Norway, Pakistan, Portugal, Scandinavia, SE Asia, Serbia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye, Ukraine, USA, Vietnam, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

Fruit can be eaten raw. They are acidic. They are often cooked into pies, preserves, puddings, and canned. They produce a colourless juice. The seeds yield an oil used in salads. The crushed seeds in a muslin bag are used to flavour jam. The fruit are candied (crystallised) and also preserved in syrup or brandy. They are processed into jam. They are used for cherry brandy and liqueurs. The leaves are used as a substitute for tea. They are also added to lacto-fermented cucumbers. And used for flavouring in pickles.

It is a cultivated food plant.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds, seeds - oil, leaves - tea, flowers, sap, gum

How it is grown

Plants can be grown by seeds or cuttings. It can also be grafted. They do not need to be cross pollinated.

Fruit are often mechanically harvested by shaking.

Its other names

Local names

Alubali, Amareno, Cereza acida, Cerazo, Cerise aigre, Ciliegia acida, Dwarf cherry, Gilas, Ginja garrafal, Griotte, Guinda, Guindo, Jera-sayna, Kentish cherry, Kirsebaer, Kirsipuu, Marasco, Olchi, Red cherry, Sanka outou, Sauerkirsche, Suan gui ying tao, Tart cherry, Ulchi, Vadmeggy, Visnja, Weichsel

Synonyms

Cerasus vulgaris Mill.; Prunus vulgaris Schur.;