History Of The Cherry Tree

There are only a few instances in the ancient historicalregions of the United States. There are efforts to
record concerning cherry trees. This absence in thehybridize the desirable genes of this cherry into existing
record perhaps resulted in the fragile nature andclones of commercial cherry cultivars. The problem
perishability of the fruit, unlike the fruit from the applewith this native cherry tree is that all parts of the tree
tree. There are strong suggestions that the cherry treeand fruit contain the deadly toxin cyanogens, which
originated in the territories of Asia Minor near the Blackhave caused death and illness to children from cyanide
Sea and the Caspian Sea. Other suggestions that thepoisoning in the fruit, even though birds don't appear to
cherry trees were used in the Greek and Romanbe affected from eating the fruit.
cultures come from literary historians, and it appearsCherry trees in orchard situations grow 10 to 15 feet
that cherry wood from the trees of cherry wastall to manage the fruit harvesting properly, even
important in many professional applications for thethough 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 thedegrees Fahrenheit, and require approximately one
settlement at Plymouth, Massachusetts, by thethousand 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 "accordingproduction. 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 inThe principal cherry commercial fruits grown in the
his book, Travels, when he was taking an inventory ofUnited States are the sour cherries, Prunus cerasus L.,
plants growing in the South after the Spaniardsthat 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 thewell as in frozen fruit packs or in canning.
bird cherry should be incorporated into the parentageThe most famous sour cherry is the "Maraschino"
of future cherry hybrids, because it was the most coldcherry that is used in cherry pies, cakes, juices, jams,
hardy cherry known; with its heavy bearingjellies, mixed drinks, ice cream, and a host of other
characteristics and its immunity to most insect andways. This cherry is bright red in color and commonly
disease problems of the cherry trees already inseen on grocery store shelves in clear glass jars and
commercial pipelines, it was the hardiest cherry treebottles.
yet.Sweet cherry cultivars, Prunus avium L., are
In 1847, Henderson Lewelling brought to Oregon in aincreasingly in demand and sold at U.S. markets. Bing
covered wagon "cherry trees, apples, pear, plum, andcherries 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, Fruitshipping 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 thered with yellow undertones in the background. The
American plum, Prunus chickasaw, and the JapaneseLambert cherry is good to use in canning as is the
plum, Prunus triflora, that ripened in California aroundStella. The Black Tartarian cherry is a sweet cherry
mid-August. Burbank described the fruit as deepcommonly available from mailorder and internet
crimson in color, transparent flesh, rich sweet flavor,catalogs.
juicy and firm with a strong resemblance of theCherries are rated high in antioxidant levels that offer
parental form of the American plum, Prunusgreat health benefits such as treating Gout. Many
chickasaw. This cherry-plum hybrid was able tointernet 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 Dakotaextracts and powders of dried cherries as a cure.
Experiment Station developed and improved the SandCherries offer other health benefits in their high content
cherry, Prunus besseyi, that was marketed as theof Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin C, Niacin,
"Improved Dwarf Rocky Mountain Cherry," with fruitand the minerals Calcium, Phosphorus, Iron, and
growing as large as the Richmond cherry. LutherPotassium.
Burbank argued in his 1922 book, Fruit ImprovementJapanese flowering cherry trees are the most widely
page 149, that this Sand cherry tree was more truly aadapted and popular flowering tree growing in the
plum tree.United States today. The multi-colored flowers of
Cherries are usually marketed with the stem stillYoshino cherry, Prunux x yodoensis, and Kwanzan
attached to the fruit. When canned or preserved, thecherry 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 ondominate the landscape of our nation's capitol ,
improving several characteristics that were importantWashington, D.C. Japanese flowering cherry trees
in marketing the fruit: the size, color, flavor, andPrunus serrulata 'Kwanzan' were planted in
sweetness. Burbank produced one cultivar so rich inWashington D.C. as a gift of the Japanese people to
sugar and it hung on the tree, instead of the rapidAmerican citizens, largely through the efforts of
decay, after ripening on the tree as experienced withPresident 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 intourists flock to the Capitol in the spring to experience
cherry tree hybridization and Burbank used the birdthat flowering extravaganza. Cherry blossom festivals,
cherry, Prunus pennsylvanica, that had withstoodcelebrations, and get-togethers are held yearly in cities
temperatures of negative 60 degrees Fahrenheit nearthroughout the country, when cherry trees are in
Hudson Bay as one parent of the cherry hybrid, sinceflower to crown "Cherry Queens" and to schedule
it was considered to be the most cold hardy of allbeauty pageants.
cherry trees. In considering the many disease andThe most popular Japanese flowering cherry trees
insect problems that cherries experienced, Burbankare Prunus serrulata 'Kwanzan'; Akebono Cherry,
suggested that hybridizers concentrate on breedingPrunus x yedoensis 'Akebono'; Weeping Japenese
immunity genes into cherries to bypass "spraying andCherry, Prunus subhirtella var. pendula; Takesimensis
gassing." Burbank is greatly admired for his strongcherry, Prunus takesimensis; Usuzeumi Cherry, Prunus
environmental stand by modern day conservationists.spachiana f. ascendens; Autumn Flowering Cherry,
The common wild black cherry, Prunus serotina, isPrunus subhirtella var. autumnalis; Sargent Cherry,
found growing in most of Eastern North America. ThePrunus 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