Cherry

Cherry, common name for several related trees, and for the edible fruit of some species. The genus containing cherry trees also includes plums, peaches, almonds, and apricots. Because many of these plants have been cultivated for thousands of years and widely hybridized, the classification is complex. Some botanists place several species of plums and cherries in other genera.

The ancestors of most of the modern cultivated varieties of cherry are probably the sweet, or dessert, cherry and the sour, or pie, cherry. The former plant attains a height of up to 15 m (up to 50 ft) and has drooping leaves and peduncles, with small austere fruit. The latter has erect, smooth, shining leaves and a more juicy fruit, but is a much smaller tree. Both trees have white flowers in clusters or nearly sessile umbels, and both are generally regarded as natives of central and southern Europe, if not also of Great Britain, where both are naturalized. According to the Roman writer Pliny the Elder, the sour cherry tree was brought to Italy from Cerasus, Pontus (now Giresun, Turkey), by the Roman general Lucullus to grace his victory (73 bc) over Mithridates VI, king of Pontus. The sweet cherry tree is frequently planted for its fruit and for its beauty when in flower, and also for its value as a timber tree. It grows rapidly and has strong, close-grained wood, suitable for use by cabinetmakers, turners, and musical-instrument makers. Double varieties of both species are also grown.

The cultivated varieties of the cherry are numerous and differ considerably in size, color, and flavor. Among important varieties in cultivation are Mazzards, quick-growing trees used as stock for grafting other varieties; Hearts and Bigarreaus, sweet cherries, the latter being firmer and less juicy; Amarelles and Morellos, sugar cherries, the latter being darker colored and sour; and Dukes, hybrids between the sweet and sour forms. Among the native species with very sour fruit that are occasionally cultivated is the chokecherry. The fruits of all these varieties are eaten fresh or used for making preserves and liqueurs.

Cherries are grown in many parts of the United States. Sweet cherries, more difficult to grow, are cultivated mainly in California, and sour cherries are common in the East. Some species with inferior fruit are cultivated especially for their flowers. Most notable of these are the Oriental cherry and the Nanking cherry. Thousands of trees of these species, presented by Japan to the United States in 1912, have been planted in Washington, D.C., around the Potomac Basin, where the cherry blossoms attract considerable attention each year in April.

Scientific classification: Cherry trees belong to the family Rosaceae. The sweet, or dessert, cherry is classified as Prunus avium, the sour, or pie, cherry as Prunus cerasus, and the chokecherry as Prunus virginiana. The Oriental cherry is classified as Prunus serrulata, and the Nanking cherry as Prunus tomentosa.