A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet Prunus avium and the sour Prunus cerasus. The name 'cherry' also refers to the cherry tree and its wood, and is sometimes applied to almonds and visually similar flowering trees in the genus Prunus, as in "ornamental cherry" or "cherry blossom". Wild cherry may refer to any of the cherry species growing outside cultivation, although Prunus avium is often referred to specifically by the name "wild cherry" in the British Isles..
Cherry, any of various cherrys belonging to the genus Prunus and their edible fruits. Commercial production includes sour cherries (Prunus cerasus), which are frozen or canned and used in sauces and pastries, and sweet cherries (P. avium), which are usually consumed fresh and are the principal type preserved in true or imitation maraschino liqueur. A number of species are grown as ornamentals for their prolific spring flowers, and the dark red wood of some cherry species is especially esteemed for the manufacture of fine furniture.
Most cherry species are native to the Northern Hemisphere, where they are widely grown. Some 10 to 12 species are recognized in North America and a similar number in Europe. The greatest concentration of species, however, appears to be in eastern Asia. The native habitat of the species from which the cultivated cherries came is believed to be western Asia and eastern Europe from the Caspian Sea to the Balkans.
Cherry Fruit TreeThree types of cherries are mainly grown for their fruit: sweet cherries, sour cherries, and, grown to a much smaller extent, the dukes, which are crosses of sweet and sour cherries. Sweet cherry trees are large and rather upright, attaining heights up to 11 metres (36 feet). The fruit is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit) that is generally heart-shaped to nearly globular, about 2 cm (1 inch) in diameter, and varies in colour from yellow through red to nearly black. The acid content of the sweet cherry is low. The higher acid content of the sour cherry produces its characteristic tart flavour. Sour cherry trees are smaller, rarely over 5 metres (16 feet) in height. The fruit is round to oblate in shape, is generally dark red in colour, and has so much acid that it is not appealing for eating fresh. The duke cherries are intermediate in both tree and fruit characteristics. The fruits of all varieties provide vitamin A and small amounts of such minerals as calcium and phosphorus.
Cherries are grown in all areas of the world where winter temperatures are not too severe and where summer temperatures are moderate. They require winter cold in order to blossom in spring. The trees bloom quite early in the spring, just after peaches and earlier than apples. In Asia, particularly Japan, cherry varieties have been selected for the beauty of their flowers, and most of them do not set fruit. These beautiful ornamentals are featured in many gardens and after about 1900 were widely disseminated throughout the moderate-temperature areas of North America and Europe. The Japanese flowering cherries around the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., were presented by the mayor of Tokyo in 1912.
