Prunus cerasus

Prunus cerasus
1897 illustration[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Prunus
Subgenus: Prunus subg. Cerasus
Species:
P. cerasus
Binomial name
Prunus cerasus
L. 1753
Synonyms[2]
List
    • Cerasus acida (Ehrh.) Borkh.
    • Cerasus austera (L.) Borkh.
    • Cerasus austera (L.) M.Roem.
    • Cerasus collina Lej. & Courtois
    • Cerasus fruticosa Pall.
    • Cerasus vulgaris Mill.
    • Druparia cerasus (L.) Clairv.
    • Prunus acida Ehrh.
    • Prunus aestiva Salisb.
    • Prunus austera (L.) Ehrh.
    • Prunus caproniana (L.) Gaudin
    • Prunus recta (Liegel) K.Koch
    • Prunus semperflorens Ehrh.

Prunus cerasus (sour cherry,[3] tart cherry, or dwarf cherry[4]) 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 (Prunus avium), but has a fruit that is more acidic. Its sour pulp is edible.[5]

The tree is smaller than the sweet cherry (growing to a height of 4–10 m), has twiggy branches, and its crimson-to-near-black cherries are borne upon shorter stalks. There are two main varieties (groups of cultivars) of the sour cherry: the dark-red Morello cherry and the lighter-red Amarelle cherry.[6]

  1. ^ illustration from Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen 1897
  2. ^ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  3. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "​Prunus cerasus​". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  4. ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  5. ^ Little, Elbert L. (1980). The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region. New York: Knopf. p. 498. ISBN 0-394-50760-6.
  6. ^ Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language. Springfield, Massachusetts: G. & C. Merriam Co., 1913. See amarelle at p. 67.