Prunus padus
- Not to be confused with Prunus avium, meaning "bird cherry".
| Prunus padus | |
|---|---|
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| Bird cherry flowers | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Subfamily: | Prunoideae |
| Genus: | Prunus |
| Subgenus: | Padus[1] |
| Species: | P. padus |
| Binomial name | |
| Prunus padus L. |
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| Synonyms | |
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Cerasus padus (L.) Delarbre |
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Prunus padus, known as Bird Cherry or Hackberry, is a species of cherry, native to northern Europe and northern Asia. It is a deciduous small tree or large shrub, 8–16 m tall, which grows north of the Arctic Circle in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. It is the type species of the subgenus Padus, which have flowers in racemes.
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[edit] Characteristics
The English name "hackberry"[2] refers to the fruit, which is astringent due to their tannin content.[3]
There are two varieties:
- European Bird Cherry Prunus padus var. padus, Europe and western Asia.
- Asian Bird Cherry Prunus padus var. commutata, eastern Asia.
[edit] Ecology
The flowers are hermaphroditic and pollinated by bees and flies. The fruit is readily eaten by birds, which do not taste astringency as unpleasant.
[edit] Uses
The fruit of this tree is seldom used in western Europe, but is commonly eaten farther east.
It was used medicinally during the Middle Ages.[clarification needed]
The bark of the tree, placed at the door, was supposed to ward off plague.[clarification needed]
It is also sold as an ornamental in North America as a May Day tree.[clarification needed]
A taboo on the use of the wood was reported by natives of Advie, in northeast Scotland, being regarded as a "witches tree".[2]
[edit] See also
- Taphrina padi - A Pocket Plum gall that occurs on Bird Cherry
[edit] References
- ^ Rehder, A. 1940, reprinted 1977. Manual of cultivated trees and shrubs hardy in North America exclusive of the subtropical and warmer temperate regions. Macmillan publishing Co., Inc, New York.
- ^ a b Walter Gregor, "Some Folklore of Trees, Animals, and River-fishing from the N.E. of Scotland" The Folk-Lore Journal. Volume 7, 1889. p. 41.
- ^ "Bird cherry (Prunus padus)". Science & Plants for Schools (U.K.). http://www-saps.plantsci.cam.ac.uk/trees/cherry.htm.
[edit] External links
- Tips to identify bird cherry from btcv
- Prunus padus Sweden Wildflowers
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Prunus padus |
