| There are only a few instances in the ancient historical | | | | regions of the United States. There are efforts to |
| record concerning cherry trees. This absence in the | | | | hybridize the desirable genes of this cherry into existing |
| record perhaps resulted in the fragile nature and | | | | clones of commercial cherry cultivars. The problem |
| perishability of the fruit, unlike the fruit from the apple | | | | with this native cherry tree is that all parts of the tree |
| tree. There are strong suggestions that the cherry tree | | | | and fruit contain the deadly toxin cyanogens, which |
| originated in the territories of Asia Minor near the Black | | | | have caused death and illness to children from cyanide |
| Sea and the Caspian Sea. Other suggestions that the | | | | poisoning in the fruit, even though birds don't appear to |
| cherry trees were used in the Greek and Roman | | | | be affected from eating the fruit. |
| cultures come from literary historians, and it appears | | | | Cherry trees in orchard situations grow 10 to 15 feet |
| that cherry wood from the trees of cherry was | | | | tall to manage the fruit harvesting properly, even |
| important in many professional applications for the | | | | though the can grow to 30 feet if not pruned. Cherry |
| ancients. | | | | trees are very cold hardy down to negative 20 |
| Among the fruit seeds that were sent in 1628 to the | | | | degrees Fahrenheit, and require approximately one |
| settlement at Plymouth, Massachusetts, by the | | | | thousand or more chill hours for an abundant fruit set. |
| Massachusetts bay Colony were cherry, peach , plum, | | | | Pollination is not a great problem with cherry tree |
| filbert, apple, quince, and pomegranate and "according | | | | production. Rootstock selection for cherry trees is |
| to accounts, they sprung up and flourished." | | | | "Mazzard," Prunus mahaleb, or "Gisela" or the recent |
| William Bartram found bird cherry, Prunus padus, | | | | Geissen, German rootstocks. |
| growing near Augusta, Georgia in 1773 as reported in | | | | The principal cherry commercial fruits grown in the |
| his book, Travels, when he was taking an inventory of | | | | United States are the sour cherries, Prunus cerasus L., |
| plants growing in the South after the Spaniards | | | | that make up 99% of all production. These cherries |
| abandoned and ceded the land to the English. | | | | are important in baking cherry pies and cherry tarts, as |
| Luther Burbank, two centuries later, believed that the | | | | well as in frozen fruit packs or in canning. |
| bird cherry should be incorporated into the parentage | | | | The most famous sour cherry is the "Maraschino" |
| of future cherry hybrids, because it was the most cold | | | | cherry that is used in cherry pies, cakes, juices, jams, |
| hardy cherry known; with its heavy bearing | | | | jellies, mixed drinks, ice cream, and a host of other |
| characteristics and its immunity to most insect and | | | | ways. This cherry is bright red in color and commonly |
| disease problems of the cherry trees already in | | | | seen on grocery store shelves in clear glass jars and |
| commercial pipelines, it was the hardiest cherry tree | | | | bottles. |
| yet. | | | | Sweet cherry cultivars, Prunus avium L., are |
| In 1847, Henderson Lewelling brought to Oregon in a | | | | increasingly in demand and sold at U.S. markets. Bing |
| covered wagon "cherry trees, apples, pear, plum, and | | | | cherries are well known as a fresh fruit item. This |
| quince." | | | | cherry is dark purple-red and is firm and has excellent |
| Luther Burbank, in his extensive book, Fruit | | | | shipping qualities. Other important sweet cherries are |
| Improvement in 1922, combined characteristics from | | | | 'Napoleon' and 'Ranier,' a USDA release that is bright |
| the Sand cherry tree, Prunus besseyi, with the | | | | red with yellow undertones in the background. The |
| American plum, Prunus chickasaw, and the Japanese | | | | Lambert cherry is good to use in canning as is the |
| plum, Prunus triflora, that ripened in California around | | | | Stella. The Black Tartarian cherry is a sweet cherry |
| mid-August. Burbank described the fruit as deep | | | | commonly available from mailorder and internet |
| crimson in color, transparent flesh, rich sweet flavor, | | | | catalogs. |
| juicy and firm with a strong resemblance of the | | | | Cherries are rated high in antioxidant levels that offer |
| parental form of the American plum, Prunus | | | | great health benefits such as treating Gout. Many |
| chickasaw. This cherry-plum hybrid was able to | | | | internet sites promote fresh cherry consumption as |
| withstand the cold and rigorous climatic conditions, | | | | being the miracle cure and fast recovery from attacks |
| even to the Dakotas. | | | | of Gout. Some internet sites offer concentrated cherry |
| Professor N.E. Hansen of the South Dakota | | | | extracts and powders of dried cherries as a cure. |
| Experiment Station developed and improved the Sand | | | | Cherries offer other health benefits in their high content |
| cherry, Prunus besseyi, that was marketed as the | | | | of Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin C, Niacin, |
| "Improved Dwarf Rocky Mountain Cherry," with fruit | | | | and the minerals Calcium, Phosphorus, Iron, and |
| growing as large as the Richmond cherry. Luther | | | | Potassium. |
| Burbank argued in his 1922 book, Fruit Improvement | | | | Japanese flowering cherry trees are the most widely |
| page 149, that this Sand cherry tree was more truly a | | | | adapted and popular flowering tree growing in the |
| plum tree. | | | | United States today. The multi-colored flowers of |
| Cherries are usually marketed with the stem still | | | | Yoshino cherry, Prunux x yodoensis, and Kwanzan |
| attached to the fruit. When canned or preserved, the | | | | cherry are seen early in the season, and the buds |
| stems are customarily removed from the cherry. | | | | open into clusters of abundant, long lasting flowers that |
| Hybridizers such as Luther Burbank concentrated on | | | | dominate the landscape of our nation's capitol , |
| improving several characteristics that were important | | | | Washington, D.C. Japanese flowering cherry trees |
| in marketing the fruit: the size, color, flavor, and | | | | Prunus serrulata 'Kwanzan' were planted in |
| sweetness. Burbank produced one cultivar so rich in | | | | Washington D.C. as a gift of the Japanese people to |
| sugar and it hung on the tree, instead of the rapid | | | | American citizens, largely through the efforts of |
| decay, after ripening on the tree as experienced with | | | | President Taft's wife, the first lady. Thousands of |
| most cherry cultivars. | | | | these Japanese cherry trees were planted, and many |
| Cold hardiness was considered to be very important in | | | | tourists flock to the Capitol in the spring to experience |
| cherry tree hybridization and Burbank used the bird | | | | that flowering extravaganza. Cherry blossom festivals, |
| cherry, Prunus pennsylvanica, that had withstood | | | | celebrations, and get-togethers are held yearly in cities |
| temperatures of negative 60 degrees Fahrenheit near | | | | throughout the country, when cherry trees are in |
| Hudson Bay as one parent of the cherry hybrid, since | | | | flower to crown "Cherry Queens" and to schedule |
| it was considered to be the most cold hardy of all | | | | beauty pageants. |
| cherry trees. In considering the many disease and | | | | The most popular Japanese flowering cherry trees |
| insect problems that cherries experienced, Burbank | | | | are Prunus serrulata 'Kwanzan'; Akebono Cherry, |
| suggested that hybridizers concentrate on breeding | | | | Prunus x yedoensis 'Akebono'; Weeping Japenese |
| immunity genes into cherries to bypass "spraying and | | | | Cherry, Prunus subhirtella var. pendula; Takesimensis |
| gassing." Burbank is greatly admired for his strong | | | | cherry, Prunus takesimensis; Usuzeumi Cherry, Prunus |
| environmental stand by modern day conservationists. | | | | spachiana f. ascendens; Autumn Flowering Cherry, |
| The common wild black cherry, Prunus serotina, is | | | | Prunus subhirtella var. autumnalis; Sargent Cherry, |
| found growing in most of Eastern North America. The | | | | Prunus sargentii; Fugenzo Cherry, Prunus serrulata |
| small cherries are grown in great abundance and are | | | | 'Fugenzo' and Okame Cherry, Prunus 'Okame'. |
| reliably produced in large crops, even in the coldest | | | | |