Cherry

cherry, any of various trees belonging to the genus Prunus (family Rosaceae) and their edible fruits. Commercial production includes sour cherries (Prunus cerasus), which are frozen or canned and used in sauces and pastries, and sweet cherries (P. avium), which are usually consumed fresh and are the principal type preserved in true or imitation maraschino liqueur. A number of species are grown as ornamentals for their prolific spring flowers, and the dark red wood of some cherry species is especially esteemed for the manufacture of fine furniture.

Most cherry species are native to the Northern Hemisphere. Some 10 to 12 species are recognized in North America and a similar number in Europe. The greatest concentration of species, however, appears to be in eastern Asia. The native habitat of the species from which the cultivated cherries came is believed to be in western Asia and eastern Europe from the Caspian Sea to the Balkans. Cherries are grown in all areas of the world where winter temperatures are not too severe and where summer temperatures are moderate. They require winter cold in order to blossom in spring. The trees bloom quite early in the spring, just after peaches and earlier than apples.

sweet cherries

Three types of cherries are mainly grown for their fruit: sweet cherries, sour cherries, and, grown to a much smaller extent, the dukes, which are crosses of sweet and sour cherries. Sweet cherry trees are large and rather upright, attaining heights up to 11 metres (36 feet). The fruit is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit) that is generally heart-shaped to nearly globular, measures about 2 cm (1 inch) in diameter, and varies in colour from yellow through red to nearly black. The acid content of the sweet cherry is low. The higher acid content of the sour cherry produces its characteristic tart flavour. Sour cherry trees are smaller, rarely over 5 metres (16 feet) in height. The fruit is round to oblate in shape, is generally dark red in colour, and has so much acid that it is not appealing for eating fresh. The duke cherries are intermediate in both tree and fruit characteristics. The fruits of all varieties provide vitamin A and small amounts of such minerals as calcium and phosphorus.

cherry blossoms

In Asia, particularly Japan, cherry varieties have been selected for the beauty of their flowers, and most of them do not set fruit. These beautiful ornamentals are featured in many gardens and after about 1900 were widely disseminated throughout the moderate-temperature areas of North America and Europe. The Japanese flowering cherries around the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., were presented by the mayor of Tokyo in 1912.