Bird Cherry (Prunus Avium)

Features and Characteristics

Prunus avium is generally grown as an ornamental cherry tree. It is native to Europe and Asia and has been cultivated in the U.S. since colonial times. Although it is a parent of many of the sweet cherry cultivars sold in commerce today for fruit production (such as the popular bing cherry), its fruits are smaller and not as sweet or tasty as the cultivars. It is a deciduous tree that typically grows 20-30’ tall in cultivation, but may reach 60’ in its native habitat. Fragrant white flowers (to 5” diameter) appear singly or in 3-5 flowered clusters in spring slightly before the foliage emerges. Flowers are followed by small sweet red to black cherries which ripen in early summer. Oval, dull, dark green leaves (to 6” long) turn yellow in fall. Birds and squirrels love the fruit, and are undoubtedly in part responsible for the naturalization of this tree from gardens into the wild in eastern and midwestern North America. Also commonly called mazzard cherry.

Genus name from Latin means plum or cherry tree.

Specific epithet is from the Latin word for bird.