Black Cherry

History Of The Cherry Tree

There are only a few instances in the ancient historical record concerning cherry trees. This absence in the record perhaps resulted in the fragile nature and perishability of the fruit, unlike the fruit from the apple tree. There are strong suggestions that the cherry tree originated in the territories of Asia Minor near the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Other suggestions that the cherry trees were used in the Greek and Roman cultures come from literary historians, and it appears that cherry wood from the trees of cherry was important in many professional applications for the ancients.

Among the fruit seeds that were sent in 1628 to the settlement at Plymouth, Massachusetts, by the Massachusetts bay Colony were cherry, peach , plum, filbert, apple, quince, and pomegranate and “according to accounts, they sprung up and flourished.”

William Bartram found bird cherry, Prunus padus, growing near Augusta, Georgia in 1773 as reported in his book, Travels, when he was taking an inventory of plants growing in the South after the Spaniards abandoned and ceded the land to the English.

Luther Burbank, two centuries later, believed that the bird cherry should be incorporated into the parentage of future cherry hybrids, because it was the most cold hardy cherry known; with its heavy bearing characteristics and its immunity to most insect and disease problems of the cherry trees already in commercial pipelines, it was the hardiest cherry tree yet.

In 1847, Henderson Lewelling brought to Oregon in a covered wagon “cherry trees, apples, pear, plum, and quince.”

Luther Burbank, in his extensive book, Fruit Improvement in 1922, combined characteristics from the Sand cherry tree, Prunus besseyi, with the American plum, Prunus chickasaw, and the Japanese plum, Prunus triflora, that ripened in California around mid-August. Burbank described the fruit as deep crimson in color, transparent flesh, rich sweet flavor, juicy and firm with a strong resemblance of the parental form of the American plum, Prunus chickasaw. This cherry-plum hybrid was able to withstand the cold and rigorous climatic conditions, even to the Dakotas.

Professor N.E. Hansen of the South Dakota Experiment Station developed and improved the Sand cherry, Prunus besseyi, that was marketed as the “Improved Dwarf Rocky Mountain Cherry,” with fruit growing as large as the Richmond cherry. Luther Burbank argued in his 1922 book, Fruit Improvement page 149, that this Sand cherry tree was more truly a plum tree.

Cherries are usually marketed with the stem still attached to the fruit. When canned or preserved, the stems are customarily removed from the cherry. Hybridizers such as Luther Burbank concentrated on improving several characteristics that were important in marketing the fruit: the size, color, flavor, and sweetness. Burbank produced one cultivar so rich in sugar and it hung on the tree, instead of the rapid decay, after ripening on the tree as experienced with most cherry cultivars.

Cold hardiness was considered to be very important in cherry tree hybridization and Burbank used the bird cherry, Prunus pennsylvanica, that had withstood temperatures of negative 60 degrees Fahrenheit near Hudson Bay as one parent of the cherry hybrid, since it was considered to be the most cold hardy of all cherry trees. In considering the many disease and insect problems that cherries experienced, Burbank suggested that hybridizers concentrate on breeding immunity genes into cherries to bypass “spraying and gassing.” Burbank is greatly admired for his strong environmental stand by modern day conservationists.

The common wild black cherry, Prunus serotina, is found growing in most of Eastern North America. The small cherries are grown in great abundance and are reliably produced in large crops, even in the coldest regions of the United States. There are efforts to hybridize the desirable genes of this cherry into existing clones of commercial cherry cultivars. The problem with this native cherry tree is that all parts of the tree and fruit contain the deadly toxin cyanogens, which have caused death and illness to children from cyanide poisoning in the fruit, even though birds don’t appear to be affected from eating the fruit.

Cherry trees in orchard situations grow 10 to 15 feet tall to manage the fruit harvesting properly, even though the can grow to 30 feet if not pruned. Cherry trees are very cold hardy down to negative 20 degrees Fahrenheit, and require approximately one thousand or more chill hours for an abundant fruit set. Pollination is not a great problem with cherry tree production. Rootstock selection for cherry trees is “Mazzard,” Prunus mahaleb, or “Gisela” or the recent Geissen, German rootstocks.

The principal cherry commercial fruits grown in the United States are the sour cherries, Prunus cerasus L., that make up 99% of all production. These cherries are important in baking cherry pies and cherry tarts, as well as in frozen fruit packs or in canning.

The most famous sour cherry is the “Maraschino” cherry that is used in cherry pies, cakes, juices, jams, jellies, mixed drinks, ice cream, and a host of other ways. This cherry is bright red in color and commonly seen on grocery store shelves in clear glass jars and bottles.

Sweet cherry cultivars, Prunus avium L., are increasingly in demand and sold at U.S. markets. Bing cherries are well known as a fresh fruit item. This cherry is dark purple-red and is firm and has excellent shipping qualities. Other important sweet cherries are ‘Napoleon’ and ‘Ranier,’ a USDA release that is bright red with yellow undertones in the background. The Lambert cherry is good to use in canning as is the Stella. The Black Tartarian cherry is a sweet cherry commonly available from mailorder and internet catalogs.

Cherries are rated high in antioxidant levels that offer great health benefits such as treating Gout. Many internet sites promote fresh cherry consumption as being the miracle cure and fast recovery from attacks of Gout. Some internet sites offer concentrated cherry extracts and powders of dried cherries as a cure. Cherries offer other health benefits in their high content of Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin C, Niacin, and the minerals Calcium, Phosphorus, Iron, and Potassium.

Japanese flowering cherry trees are the most widely adapted and popular flowering tree growing in the United States today. The multi-colored flowers of Yoshino cherry, Prunux x yodoensis, and Kwanzan cherry are seen early in the season, and the buds open into clusters of abundant, long lasting flowers that dominate the landscape of our nation’s capitol , Washington, D.C. Japanese flowering cherry trees Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’ were planted in Washington D.C. as a gift of the Japanese people to American citizens, largely through the efforts of President Taft’s wife, the first lady. Thousands of these Japanese cherry trees were planted, and many tourists flock to the Capitol in the spring to experience that flowering extravaganza. Cherry blossom festivals, celebrations, and get-togethers are held yearly in cities throughout the country, when cherry trees are in flower to crown “Cherry Queens” and to schedule beauty pageants.

The most popular Japanese flowering cherry trees are Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’; Akebono Cherry, Prunus x yedoensis ‘Akebono’; Weeping Japenese Cherry, Prunus subhirtella var. pendula; Takesimensis cherry, Prunus takesimensis; Usuzeumi Cherry, Prunus spachiana f. ascendens; Autumn Flowering Cherry, Prunus subhirtella var. autumnalis; Sargent Cherry, Prunus sargentii; Fugenzo Cherry, Prunus serrulata ‘Fugenzo’ and Okame Cherry, Prunus ‘Okame’.

About the Author

Patrick A. Malcolm, owner of TyTy Nursery, has an M.S. degree in Biochemistry and has cultivated fruit trees for over three decades.

Oxo 1071499 Good Grips Cherry Pitter

$9.99

With the OXO Good Grips Cherry Pitter, baking cherry pies, canning cherries and making homemade preserves are no longer the pits. The Cherry Pitter features a removable splatter shield that directs juices downward and prevents them from soiling your work area. When not in use, the splatter shield fits inside the front chamber and a lock holds the Cherry Pitter closed for convenient storage. Sturdy…

Dream On Me Classic Sleigh Toddler Bed

$86.99

The Dream on Me Sleigh Toddler Bed is an attractive, solid wood, classic, sleigh design bed for your toddler. Set at preciously the right height, it has been designed so that your toddler can safely get in and out of bed. Comes complete with two side safety rails for added security and a beautiful Non-toxic finish. The Dream on Me Sleigh Toddler Bed is the perfect transition for toddlers, who …

Atlantic Wave 1386 Click to enlarge Wave DVD Tower (Black Steel/Cherry Wood Base )

$35.99

Dimension: 7.5″W x 11.88″D x 51.25″H Finish: Black Material: Steel Media Storage Tower for 74 DVDs with Black Steel Frame and Wood Base The Wave DVD rack provides space-saving storage solution with its vertical design. Features distinguishing curved frame design to enhance your decor. Angled wire shelves allow for optimal title viewing angle. Item accommodates all media si…

Black Cherry

$5.97

Goldfrapp’s Black Cherry inhabits a dark alley, bristling with urban menace and throbbing with a deep electronic pulse–a far cry from their breezy debut, which gently led the listener to a fairytale aural utopia occupied by Parisian pop, whistling divas and baroque masters. Having given up the countryside for a neon-lit studio, Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory have infused Black Cherry with an i…

1 Giant Leap

$9.19

The U.K.-based musician, film director, and Faithless cofounder Jamie Catto and producer Duncan Bridgeman coproduced this impressive multimedia CD, which boasts an eclectic array of artists ranging from Senegal’s Baaba Maal and New Zealand’s Maori artist Whirimako Black to the king of ambient, Brian Eno. This project, the fruit of a six-month, five-continent recording spree, is a funky, fol…

Song of Scheherezade

$12.06

…

Comedy-V07-Inspector General [VHS]

$3.69

…

Road House (1946) [VHS]

$19.98

Road House has acquired a cult as a prime film noir. Certainly the title location is archetypal, a lounge and bowling alley up toward the Canadian border, and Ida Lupino and Richard Widmark make the most of flavorful roles that would qualify them as exemplary noir denizens even if they hadn’t established that elsewhere. He’s the second-generation owner of the place who’s never been obliged to grow…