Wild cherry

The leaf

The leaf is oval and large, up to fifteen centimetres, pointed and with a toothed edge. On the stalk, just below the leaf, there are two small reddish glands. It hangs slightly and turns red and orange in autumn.

The bark

The bark is reddish-brown and shiny, with horizontal bands of elongated marks. It peels off in horizontal strips, like ribbons. On old trees it darkens and cracks at the base.

The fruit

The cherries hang from long stalks, in clusters. Those of wild cherry trees are small, dark red to almost black, and slightly bitter; cultivated ones are larger and sweeter.

The flower

It flowers in spring, just before or as the leaves come out. The flowers are white and five-petalled, in hanging clusters; the whole tree is covered in white.

1. Jan
2. Feb
3. Mar
4. Apr
5. May
6. Jun
7. Jul
8. Aug
9. Sep
10. Oct
11. Nov
12. Dec

Habit

The wild cherry is a tall tree with a straight trunk and a narrow, conical crown. Orchard cherries are pruned low with an open crown.

Where it grows

In the wild it grows in damp woods and woodland edges in the Montseny, the Pyrenees and other Catalan mountains. It is grown for its fruit, for example in the Baix Llobregat.