Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Prunus padus - Bird Cherry


General Information
Common Name Bird Cherry
Scientific Name Prunus padus
Sun Tolerance Full Sun
Height 6-9 m (20 - 30 ft)
Spread 4.5 -6 m (15 - 20 ft)
Growth Rate Fast
Bloom Time Early Summer
Color Green
Flower Color White
Type Tree
Native Europe, USA
Classification
Kingdom Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
SuperdivisionSpermatophyta – Seed plants
Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass Rosidae
Order/ Rosales
Family Rosaceae – Rose family
Genus Prunus L. – cherry
Species P. padus


Prunus padus - Bird Cherry
Prunus padus common name is Bird Cherry. This is a small slender cherry tree, sometime only a bush is particularly at home along stream sides in the Scottish Highlands. But it is mainly native to northern Europe and northern Asia. The crown is rounded, The upper branches ascending steeply, the lower spreading and even dropping.
The winter buds are stout, shiny, sharply pointed, and often bent, their scales vary in color from yellow to dark brown. The young shoots turn olive-green and eventually dark brown. The 2-3 inch long leaves are elliptical with finely toothed margins and are dull green on top and pale green below.
Prunus padus - Bird Cherry
There are up to forty small, white, bi-sexual, self-fertile flowers, which open in May, in each drooping or spreading spike-like raceme. The fruit (a cherry) changes from green to black, is shiny, up to half an inch in diameter and harsh and bitter to the tested, it ripens in August, and is relished by birds.
The bark is dark brown, and remains smooth, but is not shiny. The bands of orange-colored lenticels are much shorter than those on Gean (P. avium). The bark peels, and like the sappy wood has an unpleasant smell of bitter almonds. The sapwood is white and the heartwood dark purplish-brown.
Bird Cherry seems to spread more by suckering than from seed, though seedlings are extremely hardy and easily raised. It has produced several varieties and distinct geographical forms but as found growing wild in Europe does not vary greatly.




Bird Cherry Full Blooms

Prunus padus - Bird Cherry : Young Plant

Leaf of Bird Cherry

Prunus padus - Bird Cherry : Leaves

Flowers of Bird Cherry

Prunus padus - Bird Cherry Flowers

Prunus padus Flowers

Fruits of  Bird Cherry

Prunus padus Fruits

 Bird Cherry Bark

Logs of  Bird Cherry

Prunus padus - Bird Cherry

Prunus padus - Bird Cherry


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