Cherries are any of the various trees or shrubs of the genus Prunus, especially Prunus avium or Prunus cerasus and their edible fruits. Three types are grown mainly for their fruit: sweet cherries, sour or tart cherries and, to a much lesser extent, crosses of sweet and sour cherries known as Dukes and Royals.

The Sweet Cherry, Prunus avium, also known as Wild Cherry and Gean is indigenous to the region between the Black and Caspian Seas in Asia Minor. It belongs to the same stone fruit family that includes Almonds, Plums and Peaches.

The Sweet Cherry is a deciduous, fruit bearing tree, growing to a height of 15-32 meters with a trunk up to 1.5 meters in diameter having a smooth textured purplish-brown bark, on young trees, turning thick dark blackish-brown and fissured on old trees.

Prunus avium leaves are alternate, simple ovoid, 7-14 cm long and 4-7 cm wide, shiny green above and with toothed margins. The tip of each toothed edge of the leaves bear little red glands. Leaves turn orange, pink or red prior to falling in autumn.

The flowers are born in early springtime, at the same time as the new leaves, on flower stalks two to six together with each flower held on a 2-5 cm long stalk. Flowers are hermaphroditic, 2.5-3.5 cm in diameter, with five intense white petals and yellowish stamens. The plant is not self-fertile. It is pollinated by insects and particularly by bees.

The fruit of the Sweet Cherry is a stone fruit 1-3 cm in diameter; brightly red to dark purple when mature in mid summertime, edible and with variable sweetness. The fruit contains a single hard-shelled stone. All parts of the plant except for the mature fruit are somewhat toxic, containing cyanogenic glycosides. Fruit is consumed raw or cooked and also used to make pies or preserves.

Tree propagation is by seed after a period of time of 2-3 months of cold stratification. Seeds can be quite slow to germinate, some of the times up to 18 months. The Sweet Cherry can grow in semi-shade or full sun. It needs well-drained moist soil with a moderate pH of 6 or 7.

Prunus avium is a member of the family Rosaceae the genus Prunus. 'Stella' is the first good quality, self-fertile black sweet cherry cultivar also a good pollinator for other sweet cherry cultivars, producing large amounts of large fruit.

Sweet Cherry, Prunus avium

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The key to successful fruit and nut production is the provision of a beneficial environment for the trees that bear them.