A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus , and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit).
Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet Prunus avium and the sour Prunus cerasus . The name 'cherry' also refers to the cherry tree and its wood, and is sometimes applied to almonds and visually similar flowering trees in the genus Prunus, as in "ornamental cherry" or "cherry blossom." Wild cherry may refer to any of the cherry species growing outside cultivation, although Prunus avium is often referred to specifically by the name "wild cherry" in the British Isles.
Prunus subg. Cerasus contains species that are typically called cherries. They are known as true cherries [1] and distinguished by having a single winter bud per axil, by having the flowers in small corymbs or umbels of several together (occasionally solitary, e.g. P. serrula; some species with short racemes, e.g. P. maacki ), and by having smooth fruit with no obvious groove. [2] Examples of true cherries are:
Bush cherries are characterized by having three winter buds per axil. [2] They used to be included in Prunus subg. Cerasus, but phylogenetic research indicates they should be a section of Prunus subg. Prunus. [1] Examples of bush cherries are:
Prunus subg. Padus contains most racemose species that are called cherries which used to be included in the genera Padus (bird cherries), Laurocerasus (cherry laurels), Pygeum (tropical species such as African cherry) and Maddenia. [1] Examples of the racemose cherries are:
The English word cherry derives from Old Northern French or Norman cherise from the Latin cerasum, [3] referring to an ancient Greek region, Kerasous (Κερασοῦς) near Giresun, Turkey, from which cherries were first thought to be exported to Europe. [4]
The word "cherry" is also used for some species that bear fruits with similar size and shape even though they are not in the same Prunus genus; some of these species include the "Jamaican cherry" (Muntingia calabura) and the "Spanish cherry" (Mimusops elengi). [5]
The indigenous range of the sweet cherry extends through most of Europe, western Asia, and parts of northern Africa, and the fruit has been consumed throughout its range since prehistoric times. A cultivated cherry is recorded as having been brought to Rome by Lucius Licinius Lucullus from northeastern Anatolia, also known as the Pontus region, in 72 BC. [6]
Cherries were introduced into England at Teynham, near Sittingbourne in Kent, by order of Henry VIII, who had tasted them in Flanders. [7] [8] [9]
Cherries, along with many other fruiting trees and plants, probably first arrived in North America around 1606 in the New France colony of Port Royal, which is modern-day Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. Richard Guthrie described in 1629, the "fruitful valley adorned with...great variety of fruit trees, chestnuts, pears, apples, cherries, plums and all other fruits." [10]
The cultivated forms are of the species sweet cherry (P. avium) to which most cherry cultivars belong, and the sour cherry (P. cerasus), which is used mainly for cooking. Both species originate in Europe and western Asia; they usually do not cross-pollinate. Some other species, although having edible fruit, are not grown extensively for consumption, except in northern regions where the two main species will not grow. Irrigation, spraying, labor, and their propensity to damage from rain and hail make cherries relatively expensive. Nonetheless, demand is high for the fruit. In commercial production, sour cherries, as well as sweet cherries sometimes, are harvested by using a mechanized "shaker." [11] Hand picking is also widely used for sweet as well as sour cherries to harvest the fruit to avoid damage to both fruit and trees.
Common rootstocks include Mazzard, Mahaleb, Colt, and Gisela Series, a dwarfing rootstock that produces trees significantly smaller than others, only 8 to 10 feet (2.5 to 3 meters) tall. [12] Sour cherries require no pollenizer, while few sweet varieties are self-fertile. [12]
A cherry tree will take three to four years once it is planted in the orchard to produce its first crop of fruit, and seven years to attain full maturity. [13]
Like most temperate-latitude trees, cherry trees require a certain number of chilling hours each year to break dormancy and bloom and produce fruit. The number of chilling hours required depends on the variety. Because of this cold-weather requirement, no members of the genus Prunus can grow in tropical climates. (See "production" section for more information on chilling requirements)
Cherries have a short growing season and can grow in most temperate latitudes. [13] Cherries blossom in April (in the Northern Hemisphere) and the peak season for the cherry harvest is in the summer. In southern Europe in June, in North America in June, in England in mid-July, and in southern British Columbia (Canada) in June to mid-August. In many parts of North America, they are among the first tree fruits to flower and ripen in mid-Spring.
In the Southern Hemisphere, cherries are usually at their peak in late December and are widely associated with Christmas. 'Burlat' is an early variety which ripens during the beginning of December, 'Lapins' ripens near the end of December, and 'Sweetheart' finish slightly later. [14]
Generally, the cherry can be a difficult fruit tree to grow and keep alive. [12] In Europe, the first visible pest in the growing season soon after blossom (in April in western Europe) usually is the black cherry aphid ("cherry blackfly," Myzus cerasi), which causes leaves at the tips of branches to curl, with the blackfly colonies exuding a sticky secretion which promotes fungal growth on the leaves and fruit. At the fruiting stage in June/July (Europe), the cherry fruit fly (Rhagoletis cingulata and Rhagoletis cerasi) lays its eggs in the immature fruit, whereafter its larvae feed on the cherry flesh and exit through a small hole (about 1 mm diameter), which in turn is the entry point for fungal infection of the cherry fruit after rainfall. [15] In addition, cherry trees are susceptible to bacterial canker, cytospora canker, brown rot of the fruit, root rot from overly wet soil, crown rot, and several viruses. [12]
The following cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:
Name | Height m | Spread m | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Accolade | 8 | 8 | [16] |
Amanogawa | 8 | 4 | [17] |
Autumnalis ( P. × subhirtella ) | 8 | 8 | [18] |
Autumnalis Rosea (P. × subhirtella) | 8 | 4 | [19] |
Avium Grandiflora (see Plena) | |||
Colorata ( P. padus ) | 12 | 8 | [20] |
Grandiflora (see Plena) | |||
Kanzan | 12 | 12+ | [21] |
Kiku-shidare-zakura | 4 | 4 | [22] |
Kursar | 8 | 8 | [23] |
Morello ( P. cerasus ) | 4 | 4 | [24] |
Okamé ( P. × incam ) | 12 | 8 | [25] |
Pandora | 12 | 8 | [26] |
Pendula Rosea | 4 | 4 | [27] |
Pendula Rubra | 4 | 4 | [28] |
Pink Perfection | 8 | 8 | [29] |
Plena (Grandiflora) | 12 | 8+ | [30] |
Praecox ( P. incisa ) | 8 | 8 | |
Prunus avium (wild cherry) | 12+ | 8+ | |
Prunus × cistena | 1.5 | 1.5 | [31] |
Prunus sargentii (Sargent's cherry) | 12+ | 8+ | [32] |
Prunus serrula (Tibetan cherry) | 12 | 8+ | [33] |
Shirofugen | 8 | 8 | [34] |
Shirotai | 8 | 8 | [35] |
Shōgetsu | 8 | 8 | [36] |
Spire | 12 | 8 | [37] |
Stella | 4 | 4 | [38] |
Ukon | 8 | 8+ | [39] |
See cherry blossom and Prunus for ornamental trees.
Rank | Country | Production |
---|---|---|
1 | Turkey | 724,994 |
2 | United States | 294,900 |
3 | Chile | 255,471 |
4 | Uzbekistan | 185,068 |
5 | Iran | 164,080 |
6 | Italy | 104,380 |
7 | Greece | 93,740 |
8 | Spain | 82,130 |
9 | Ukraine | 63,550 |
10 | Bulgaria | 52,330 |
World | 2,609,550 | |
Source: UN Food & Agriculture Organization [40] |
Rank | Country | Production |
---|---|---|
1 | Russia | 254,800 |
2 | Turkey | 189,184 |
3 | Ukraine | 174,630 |
4 | Serbia | 165,738 |
5 | Poland | 153,100 |
6 | Iran | 121,651 |
7 | Uzbekistan | 70,650 |
8 | United States | 63,276 |
9 | Hungary | 61,460 |
10 | Belarus | 53,763 |
World | 1,479,045 | |
Source: UN Food & Agriculture Organization [40] |
In 2020, world production of sweet cherries was 2.61 million tonnes, with Turkey producing 28% of this total. Other major producers of sweet cherries were the United States and Chile. World production of sour cherries in 2020 was 1.48 million tonnes, led by Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and Serbia.
Major commercial cherry orchards in West Asia are in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, and Azerbaijan.
Major commercial cherry orchards in Europe are in Turkey, Italy, Spain and other Mediterranean regions, and to a smaller extent in the Baltic States and southern Scandinavia.
In France since the 1920s, the first cherries of the season come in April/May from the region of Céret (Pyrénées-Orientales), [41] where the local producers send, as a tradition since 1932, the first crate of cherries to the president of the Republic. [42]
In the United States, most sweet cherries are grown in Washington, California, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Michigan. [43] Important sweet cherry cultivars include Bing, Ulster, Rainier, Brooks, Tulare, King, and Sweetheart. [44] Both Oregon and Michigan provide light-colored 'Royal Ann' ('Napoleon'; alternately 'Queen Anne') cherries for the maraschino cherry process. Most sour (also called tart) cherries are grown in Michigan, followed by Utah, New York, and Washington. [43] Sour cherries include 'Nanking' and 'Evans.' Traverse City, Michigan is called the "Cherry Capital of the World", [45] hosting a National Cherry Festival and making the world's largest cherry pie. The specific region of northern Michigan known for tart cherry production is referred to as the "Traverse Bay" region.
Most cherry varieties have a chilling requirement of 800 or more hours, meaning that in order to break dormancy, blossom, and set fruit, the winter season needs to have at least 800 hours where the temperature is below 7 °C (45 °F). "Low chill" varieties requiring 300 hours or less are Minnie Royal and Royal Lee, requiring cross-pollinization, whereas the cultivar, Royal Crimson, is self-fertile. [46] These varieties extend the range of cultivation of cherries to the mild winter areas of southern US. This is a boon to California producers of sweet cherries, as California is the second largest producer of sweet cherries in the US. [47]
Native and non-native sweet cherries grow well in Canada's provinces of Ontario and British Columbia where an annual cherry festival has been celebrated for seven consecutive decades in the Okanagan Valley town of Osoyoos. [48] In addition to the Okanagan, other British Columbia cherry growing regions are the Similkameen Valley and Kootenay Valley, all three regions together producing 5.5 million kg annually or 60% of total Canadian output. [49] Sweet cherry varieties in British Columbia include 'Rainier', 'Van', 'Chelan', 'Lapins', 'Sweetheart', 'Skeena', 'Staccato', 'Christalina' and 'Bing.'
In Australia, cherries are grown in all the states except for the Northern Territory. The major producing regions are located in the temperate areas within New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. Western Australia has limited production in the elevated parts in the southwest of the state. Key production areas include Young, Orange and Bathurst in New South Wales, Wandin, the Goulburn and Murray valley areas in Victoria, the Adelaide Hills region in South Australia, and the Huon and Derwent Valleys in Tasmania.
Key commercial varieties in order of seasonality include 'Empress', 'Merchant', 'Supreme', 'Ron's seedling', 'Chelan', 'Ulster', 'Van', 'Bing', 'Stella', 'Nordwunder', 'Lapins', 'Simone', 'Regina', 'Kordia' and 'Sweetheart'. New varieties are being introduced, including the late season 'Staccato' and early season 'Sequoia'. The Australian Cherry Breeding program is developing a series of new varieties which are under testing evaluation. [50]
The New South Wales town of Young is called the "Cherry Capital of Australia" and hosts the National Cherry Festival.
Raw sweet cherries are 82% water, 16% carbohydrates, 1% protein, and negligible in fat (table). As raw fruit, sweet cherries provide little nutrient content per 100 g serving, as only dietary fiber and vitamin C are present in moderate content, while other vitamins and dietary minerals each supply less than 10% of the Daily Value (DV) per serving, respectively (table). [51]
Compared to sweet cherries, raw sour cherries contain 50% more vitamin C per 100 g (12% DV) and about 20 times more vitamin A (8% DV), beta-Carotene in particular (table). [52]
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
---|---|
Energy | 209 kJ (50 kcal) |
12.2 g | |
Sugars | 8.5 g |
Dietary fiber | 1.6 g |
0.3 g | |
1 g | |
Vitamins | Quantity %DV† |
Vitamin A equiv. | 7% 64 μg7% 770 μg85 μg |
Thiamine (B1) | 3% 0.03 mg |
Riboflavin (B2) | 3% 0.04 mg |
Niacin (B3) | 3% 0.4 mg |
Pantothenic acid (B5) | 3% 0.143 mg |
Vitamin B6 | 3% 0.044 mg |
Folate (B9) | 2% 8 μg |
Choline | 1% 6.1 mg |
Vitamin C | 11% 10 mg |
Vitamin K | 2% 2.1 μg |
Minerals | Quantity %DV† |
Calcium | 1% 16 mg |
Iron | 2% 0.32 mg |
Magnesium | 2% 9 mg |
Manganese | 5% 0.112 mg |
Phosphorus | 1% 15 mg |
Potassium | 6% 173 mg |
Sodium | 0% 3 mg |
Zinc | 1% 0.1 mg |
Other constituents | Quantity |
Water | 86 g |
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, [53] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies. [54] |
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
---|---|
Energy | 263 kJ (63 kcal) |
16 g | |
Sugars | 12.8 g |
Dietary fiber | 2.1 g |
0.2 g | |
1.1 g | |
Vitamins | Quantity %DV† |
Vitamin A equiv. | 0% 3 μg0% 38 μg85 μg |
Thiamine (B1) | 2% 0.027 mg |
Riboflavin (B2) | 3% 0.033 mg |
Niacin (B3) | 1% 0.154 mg |
Pantothenic acid (B5) | 4% 0.199 mg |
Vitamin B6 | 3% 0.049 mg |
Folate (B9) | 1% 4 μg |
Choline | 1% 6.1 mg |
Vitamin C | 8% 7 mg |
Vitamin K | 2% 2.1 μg |
Minerals | Quantity %DV† |
Calcium | 1% 13 mg |
Iron | 2% 0.36 mg |
Magnesium | 3% 11 mg |
Manganese | 3% 0.07 mg |
Phosphorus | 2% 21 mg |
Potassium | 7% 222 mg |
Sodium | 0% 0 mg |
Zinc | 1% 0.07 mg |
Other constituents | Quantity |
Water | 82 g |
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, [53] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies. [54] |
The cherry kernels, accessible by chewing or breaking the hard-shelled cherry pits, contain amygdalin, a chemical that releases the toxic compound hydrogen cyanide when ingested. The amount of amygdalin in each cherry varies widely, and symptoms would show only after eating several crushed pits (3–4 of the Morello variety or 7–9 of the red or black varieties). Swallowing the pits whole normally causes no complications. [55]
Cherry wood is valued for its rich color and straight grain in manufacturing fine furniture, particularly desks, tables and chairs. [56] [57]
Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in late summer into mid-autumn. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus Pyrus, in the family Rosaceae, bearing the pomaceous fruit of the same name. Several species of pears are valued for their edible fruit and juices, while others are cultivated as trees.
The peach is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others, nectarines.
Geranium is a genus of 422 species of annual, biennial, and perennial plants that are commonly known as geraniums or cranesbills. They are found throughout the temperate regions of the world and the mountains of the tropics, with the greatest diversity in the eastern part of the Mediterranean region.
Prunus is a genus of trees and shrubs in the flowering plant family Rosaceae that includes plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, and almonds. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, being native to the North American temperate regions, the neotropics of South America, and temperate and tropical regions of Asia and Africa, There are 340 accepted species. Many members of the genus are widely cultivated for their fruit and for decorative purposes. Prunus fruit are drupes, or stone fruits. The fleshy mesocarp surrounding the endocarp is edible while the endocarp itself forms a hard, inedible shell called the pyrena. This shell encloses the seed, which is edible in some species, but poisonous in many others. Besides being eaten off the hand, most Prunus fruit are also commonly used in processing, such as jam production, canning, drying, and the seeds for roasting.
Prunus cerasus is a species of Prunus in the subgenus Cerasus (cherries), native to much of Europe, North Africa and West Asia. It is closely related to the sweet cherry, but has a fruit that is more acidic. Its sour pulp is edible.
Penstemon, the beardtongues, is a large genus of roughly 280 species of flowering plants native mostly to the Nearctic, but with a few species also found in the North American portion of the Neotropics. It is the largest genus of flowering plants endemic to North America. As well as being the scientific name, penstemon is also widely used as a common name for all Penstemon species alongside beardtongues.
Juniperus chinensis, the Chinese juniper, is a species of plant in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to China, Myanmar, Japan, Korea and the Russian Far East. Growing 1–20 metres tall, it is a very variable coniferous evergreen tree or shrub.
Berberis, commonly known as barberry, is a large genus of deciduous and evergreen shrubs from 1–5 m (3.3–16.4 ft) tall, found throughout temperate and subtropical regions of the world. Species diversity is greatest in South America and Asia; Europe, Africa and North America have native species as well. The best-known Berberis species is the European barberry, Berberis vulgaris, which is common in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and central Asia, and has been widely introduced in North America. Many of the species have spines on the shoots and all along the margins of the leaves.
Prunus cerasifera is a species of plum known by the common names cherry plum and myrobalan plum. It is native to Southeast Europe and Western Asia, and is naturalised in the British Isles and scattered locations in North America. Also naturalized in parts of SE Australia where it is considered to be a mildly invasive weed of bushland near urban centers. P. cerasifera is believed to one of the parents of the Cultivated Plum, Prunus domestica perhaps crossing with the sloe, Prunus spinosa, or perhaps the sole parent. This would make it a parent of most of the commercial varieties of plum in the UK and mainland Europe - Victoria, greengages, bullace etc.
Prunus serrulata or Japanese cherry is a species of cherry tree that grows naturally in Japan, China, Korea, and Vietnam, and it also refers to a cultivar produced from Prunus speciosa, a cherry tree endemic in Japan. Historically, the Japanese have developed many cultivars by selective breeding of cherry trees, which are produced by the complicated crossing of several wild species, and they are used for ornamental purposes all over the world. Of these, the cultivars produced by complex interspecific hybrids based on the Oshima cherry are also known as the Cerasus Sato-zakura Group.
Ilex aquifolium, the holly, common holly, English holly, European holly, or occasionally Christmas holly, is a species of flowering plant in the family Aquifoliaceae, native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest Asia. It is regarded as the type species of the genus Ilex, which by association is also called "holly". It is an evergreen tree or shrub found, for example, in shady areas of forests of oak and in beech hedges. In the British Isles it is one of very few native hardwood evergreen trees. It has a great capacity to adapt to different conditions and is a pioneer species that repopulates the margins of forests or clearcuts.
The marasca cherry is a type of sour Morello cherry known only from cultivation. It is reputed to attain its finest flavor when grown in coastal Croatia.
Prunus speciosa, the Oshima cherry, Japanese オオシマザクラ, is native to Izu Ōshima island and the Izu Peninsula on Honshū near Tokyo, Japan.
Prunus fruticosa, the European dwarf cherry, dwarf cherry, Mongolian cherry or steppe cherry is a deciduous, xerophytic, winter-hardy, cherry-bearing shrub. It is also called ground cherry and European ground cherry, but is not to be confused with plants in the distinct "Groundcherry" genus of Physalis.
Prunus domestica is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae. A deciduous tree, it includes many varieties of the fruit trees known as plums in English, though not all plums belong to this species. The greengages and damsons also belong to subspecies of P. domestica.
Prunus avium, commonly called wild cherry, sweet cherry or gean is a species of cherry, a flowering plant in the rose family, Rosaceae. It is native to Europe, Anatolia, Maghreb, and Western Asia, from the British Isles south to Morocco and Tunisia, north to the Trondheimsfjord region in Norway and east to the Caucasus and northern Iran, with a small isolated population in the western Himalaya. The species is widely cultivated in other regions and has become naturalized in North America, New Zealand and Australia.
Prunus nipponica, also called Japanese alpine cherry, is a shrub which originates from the islands of Hokkaido and Honshu, Japan. It grows to a height of about 5 meters (16 ft) and can grow in sandy, loamy, and clay soils.
Prunus 'Kanzan' is a flowering cherry cultivar. It was developed in the Edo period in Japan as a result of multiple interspecific hybrids based on the Oshima cherry.
Lapins is a cultivar of cherry. It is a hybrid of the Van and Stella cultivars. It has been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Prunus subg. Cerasus is a subgenus of Prunus. Species of the subgenus have a single winter bud per axil. The flowers are usually in small corymbs or umbels of several together, but some species have short racemes. The fruit is a drupe and has no obvious groove along the side. The subgenus is native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with two species in North America, four in Europe, two in North Africa, and the remainder in Asia.
The curious antiquary John Aubrey (1626–1697) noted in his memoranda: Cherries were first brought into Kent tempore H. viii, who being in Flanders, and likeing the Cherries, ordered his Gardener, brought them hence, and propagated them in England.