Bird Cherry: description and history of the origin of the variety, application and care with a photo

In different reference books there is a description of sweet cherry or bird cherry. Part of the discrepancy in terminology is due to the fact that this plant has several varieties. This cherry is considered one of the oldest cultivated by man. Sweet cherry grows in the southern regions of Russia, but also occurs in the wild in northern latitudes. Berries contain many beneficial micronutrients, including fructose and glucose.

Origin story

Bird cherry belongs to wild crops. Excavations have shown that this plant was used in antiquity.The first mention of sweet cherry dates back to the 4th century BC. Over time, breeders moved the tree from Kerasunt (considered the birthplace of culture) to the territory of the Roman Empire.

In the Middle Ages, researchers divided cherries and sweet cherries into separate subspecies. The first group included trees with sweet fruits, the second - with sour ones. At present, in English-speaking countries, such a gradation is still preserved. Moreover, this variety is referred to as Caesar.

Botanical description

Bird Cherry, on average, grows up to 15 meters in length, although cases have been recorded when the trunk, together with the crown, reached 30 meters. The culture is developing rapidly. The tree is characterized by the following features:

• straight barrel;
• light crown;
• there are more than three leaves on the branches;
• ovoid (rarely conical) crown.

In the first years after planting, the bark of young sweet cherries is brown, red or silver. In rare cases, the trunk, as the plant grows older, peels off.

The roots of most cherries grow mainly deep, but sometimes they are able to form large and branched systems.

Shoots from two types of cherries:

• shortened, on which fruits are formed;
• elongated for tree growth.

Leaves up to 16 centimeters long have a different shape (pointed, epileptic and other). White sweet cherry flowers are bisexual (the plant is self-pollinating), appearing long before bud break. Cherry Bird reproduces by seed method, stump shoots or through the root system. In the wild, the first option is common.

Economic value and application

Bird's Cherry is grown on private plots, mainly for its fruit. Also, the plant is used in the breeding of bees, to obtain honey in early spring. From one hectare of plantations, you can get up to 35 kilograms of this product.

Cherry fruits

Bird cherry has fleshy fruits with a large bone in the middle part. The berries are oval or spherical in shape. Fruit color varies from light yellow to dark shades. In crops grown on private plots, berries reach 2 centimeters in diameter. The plant yields by the end of May or June.

Reproduction

Propagation is by seed or grafting. The first option is suitable for planting a wild tree. Such a plant is then used for grafting to produce cultivated cherries.

Diseases and pests

The bird cherry suffers from the following pests:

1. Coccomycosis. It mainly affects the leaves, provoking the appearance of red-brown spots.
2. Gray rot (moniliosis). Causes rapid drying of flowers and rotting of berries.
3. Perforated spotting (clasterosporiasis). It affects the plant at any stage of development. Due to the pest, brown spots form on the leaves and the fruits die.

To avoid cherry infection, it is recommended, after flowering and 2 weeks before harvest, to treat the tree with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid or other fungicidal compounds.

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