Features

Tree

Leaf

Blossom

Fruit

The wild cherry (Prunus avium) is a deciduous tree belonging to the Rosaceae family and is native in the area from Europe to Asia Minor, Caucasus and Western Siberia. While the "avium" in the Latin name stands for “bird”, referring to the fruits which are eaten by birds, the species should not be confused with the bird cherry (Prunus padus). The wild cherry has been cultivated since ancient times. Its seeds have been found in settlements dating back to the late Stone Age and Bronze Age, and the breeding of sweet cherries began as early as in antiquity. The Romans brought the cultivated form of cherries northwards, thus the current form of sweet cherries has no further connection with the wild cherry species growing here.

The wild cherry is one of the trees that can be used as a "Barbarazweig" (Barbara branch). These are branches of fruit trees, which are traditionally cut on December 4, the liturgical memorial day of Saint Barbara in the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches ("Barbaratag", so "Barbara day"), and placed in a vase in the home. They are supposed to bloom until Christmas Eve and decorate the home for the Christmas festivities.

The pollen of the wild cherry is important for fifteen species of wild bees, including twelve species of ground-nesting, solitary bees. However, the main pollinators are honey bees. They also collect honeydew from the commonly occurring aphids and nectar from outside the flowers produced in nectaries on the leaf stalks. The nectar production of these nectar glands is particularly high in the first weeks after bud burst, attracting larger quantities of the ant Formica obscuripes. These ants attack the young caterpillars of various butterflies and larvae of other pest insects, thereby freeing the tree from pests. Therefore, this nectar is also called "police food."

The leaves of the wild cherry tree serve as larval food for a variety of butterfly species. Thanks to its highly visible fruits, the wild cherry seeds are mainly dispersed by birds, especially thrushes, blackbirds, starlings, and corvids. The dispersal mechanisms of these single-stone fruits include mouth dispersal when birds peel off the flesh, digestive dispersal by small mammals, and hiding dispersal by squirrels and mice.

The fine red wood of the wild cherry tree is one of the most beautiful and valuable native woods. The coveted hardwood is used in crafts (veneer wood, cabinetmaking, artistic woodworking, inlay work, wood turning, sculpting, instrument making), interior design, automotive and boat building, as well as for household items.