View source for Prunus cerasus

{{Short description|Species of cherry tree}}
{{redirect|Amarelle|the Spanish beach footballer|Ramiro Figueiras Amarelle}}
{{Redirect|Sour cherry||List of plants known as sour cherry}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Koeh-113.jpg
|image_caption = 1897 illustration<ref>illustration from Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen 1897</ref>
|genus = Prunus
|parent = Prunus subg. Cerasus
|species = cerasus
|authority = [[L.]] 1753
|synonyms =
  {{Collapsible list |{{Plainlist | style = margin-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em; |
* ''Cerasus acida'' <small>(Ehrh.) Borkh.</small>
* ''Cerasus austera'' <small>(L.) Borkh.</small>
* ''Cerasus austera'' <small>(L.) M.Roem.</small>
* ''Cerasus collina'' <small>Lej. & Courtois</small>
* ''Cerasus fruticosa'' <small>Pall.</small>
* ''Cerasus vulgaris'' <small>Mill.</small>
* ''Druparia cerasus'' <small>(L.) Clairv.</small>
* ''Prunus acida'' <small>Ehrh.</small>
* ''Prunus aestiva'' <small>Salisb.</small>
* ''Prunus austera'' <small>(L.) Ehrh.</small>
* ''Prunus caproniana'' <small>(L.) Gaudin</small>
* ''Prunus recta'' <small>(Liegel) K.Koch</small>
* ''Prunus semperflorens'' <small>Ehrh.</small>
}}
  }}
|synonyms_ref = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/rjp-696|title=The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species |access-date=January 27, 2014}}</ref>
}}

'''''Prunus cerasus''''' ('''sour cherry''',<ref>{{PLANTS|id=PRCE|taxon=Prunus cerasus|access-date=14 October 2015}}</ref> '''tart cherry''', or '''dwarf cherry''')<ref name=BSBI07>{{BSBI 2007 |access-date=2014-10-17}}</ref> is an Old World species of ''[[Prunus]]'' in the subgenus ''[[Prunus subg. Cerasus|Cerasus]]'' ([[cherries]]). It has two main groups of [[cultivar]]s: the dark-red [[Morello cherry]] and the lighter-red '''Amarelle cherry'''. The sour pulp is edible.

==Description==
The tree is smaller than the sweet cherry (growing to a height of 4–10 m), has twiggy branches, and its crimson-to-near-black cherries are borne upon shorter stalks.

It is closely related to the sweet cherry (''[[Prunus avium]]''), but has a [[fruit]] that is more [[acid]]ic.

Its fruit [[persistence (botany)|persists]] for an average of 17.4 days, and always bears 1 seed per fruit. Fruits average 84.9% water, and their [[dry matter|dry weight]] includes 39.7% [[carbohydrate]]s and 1.0% [[lipid]]s.{{sfn|Ehrlén|Eriksson|1991}}

==Taxonomy==
[[File:Illustration Prunus cerasus0.jpg|thumb|Illustration of Morello cherry]]
[[File:Frühling blühender Kirschenbaum.jpg|thumb|A blooming sour cherry tree]]

''Prunus cerasus'', a [[tetraploid]] with 2n=32 chromosomes, is thought to have originated as a natural hybrid between ''[[Prunus avium]]'' and ''[[Prunus fruticosa]]'' in the [[Iranian Plateau]] or Eastern Europe where the two species come into contact. ''[[Prunus fruticosa]]'' is believed to have provided its smaller size and sour tasting fruit. The hybrids then stabilized and interbred to form a new, distinct species.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Stocks | first=Christopher | title=Britain's forgotten fruits | journal=Flora | volume=1 | pages=1–200 |date=2009 }}</ref>

There are two main varieties (groups of [[cultivar]]s) of the sour cherry: the dark-red Morello cherry and the lighter-red Amarelle cherry.<ref>''Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language''. Springfield, Massachusetts: G. & C. Merriam Co., 1913. See ''amarelle'' at p. 67.</ref>

==Distribution and habitat==
It is distributed in much of [[Europe]], [[North Africa]] and [[West Asia]]. There are likely no truly wild occurrences. However, particularly the subspecies ''acida'' easily escapes cultivation and is naturalized throughout the growing area.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Portraits der im Capitulare de Villis aufgelisteten Pflanzen | url=https://biozac.de/biozac/capvil/Cvcerasu.htm | access-date=2025-08-08 | website=biozac.de}}</ref>

== Cultivation ==
Cultivated sour cherries were selected from wild specimens of ''Prunus cerasus'' from around the [[Caspian Sea|Caspian]] and [[Black Sea]]s,<ref name="Quero-García et al 2019"/> and were known to the [[Greece|Greek]]s in 300 BC. They were also used by [[Persia]]ns and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]] who introduced them into [[Great Britain|Britain]] long before the 1st century AD.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022|reason= the Romans only arrived in Britain in the 1st century AD, so this is not possible?}}

As early as the 12th Century, a Morello type sour cherry was grown in the Schaerbeek region of Belgium. <ref>https://www.beercity.brussels/home/50-objects-schaarbeekse-kriek-schaerbeekse</ref> Schaerbeek cherries were devastated by the Napoleonic and World Wars. Today there are efforts to reestablish Schaerbeek sour cherries, a defining component of [[Kriek lambic]] beer culture in Belgium recognized by UNESCO in 2016 as an "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity." Although a "Morello type," Schaerbeek cherries are distinctive in that they are ovate on the horizontal axis, a deeper burgundy color when ripe, have a lower chill requirement to set fruit, and have a distinctive cinnamon aroma and flavor. <ref>https://lyonspeak.com/our-beers/</ref>

In England, sour cherry cultivation was popularized in the 16th century in the time of [[Henry VIII]]. They became a common crop amongst Kentish growers, and by 1640 over two dozen named [[cultivar]]s were recorded.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

Before the [[Second World War]] there were more than fifty cultivars of sour cherry in cultivation in England; today, however, few are grown commercially, and despite the continuation of named cultivars such as 'Kentish Red', 'Amarelles', 'Griottes' and 'Flemish', only the generic Morello is offered by most nurseries. This is a late-flowering variety, and thus misses more frosts than its sweet counterpart and is therefore a more reliable cropper. The Morello cherry ripens in mid to late summer, toward the end of August in southern England. It is self-fertile, and would be a good [[pollenizer]] for other varieties if it did not flower so late in the season.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

Sour cherries require similar cultivation conditions to [[pear]]s, that is, they prefer a rich, well-drained, moist [[soil]], although they demand more [[nitrogen]] and [[water]] than sweet cherries. Trees will do badly if waterlogged, but have greater tolerance of poor drainage than sweet varieties. As with sweet cherries, Morellos are traditionally cultivated by budding onto strong growing rootstocks, which produce trees too large for most gardens, although newer dwarfing rootstocks such as ''Colt'' and ''Gisella'' are now available. During spring, flowers should be protected, and trees weeded, mulched and sprayed with natural seaweed solution. This is also the time when any required [[pruning]] should be carried out (note that cherries should not be pruned during the dormant winter months). Morello cherry trees fruit on younger wood than sweet varieties, and thus can be pruned harder. They are usually grown as standards, but can be fan trained, cropping well even on cold walls, or grown as low bushes.<ref name="msu"/>

Sour cherries suffer fewer pests and diseases than sweet cherries, although they are prone to heavy fruit losses from [[bird]]s. In summer, fruit should be protected with netting. When harvesting fruit, they should be cut from the tree rather than risking damage by pulling the stalks.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

Unlike most sweet cherry varieties, sour cherries are [[self-fertile]] or self-[[pollenizer|pollenizing]]<!-- Not 'self-pollinating' -->. Two implications of this are that seeds generally run true to the cultivar, and that much smaller [[pollinator]] populations are needed because pollen only has to be moved within individual flowers. In areas where pollinators are scarce, growers find that [[pollination management|stocking beehives]] in orchards improves yields.<ref name="msu">{{Cite web |url=https://www.oakgov.com/msu/Documents/publications/oc0089_cherries.pdf |title=Growing cherries|publisher=Michigan State University, Extension-Oakland County|date=2012 |access-date=2016-11-01 |archive-date=2017-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202001035/https://www.oakgov.com/msu/Documents/publications/oc0089_cherries.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; 13em; text-align:center;"
|+ Sour cherry production<br /><small>2022, in tonnes<ref name="faostat">[[Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database|FAOSTAT]] of the [[United Nations]]{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC|title=Production of sour cherries in 2022; Pick lists by Crops/Regions/Production Quantity/Year|date=2024|publisher=United Nations, [[Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database]]|access-date=10 July 2024}}</ref><br /></small>
|-
|{{RUS}} ||297,200
|-
|{{POL}} ||183,800
|-
|{{UKR}} ||180,240
|-
|{{TUR}} ||176,770
|-
|{{SRB}} ||164,446
|-
|{{IRN}} ||134,055
|-
|{{USA}} ||110,770
|-
|'''World''' ||'''1,593,025'''
|}

==Production==

In 2022, world production of sour cherries was 1.6 million [[tonne]]s, led by [[Russia]] with 19% of the total. Other major producers were [[Poland]], [[Ukraine]], and [[Turkey]].

==Uses==
===Culinary===
The sour pulp is edible.<ref>{{cite book |last=Little |first=Elbert L. |title=The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region |publisher=Knopf |year=1980 |isbn=0-394-50760-6 |location=New York |page=498}}</ref> Dried sour cherries are used in cooking including [[soup]]s, [[pork]] dishes, [[cake]]s, [[tart]]s, and [[pie]]s. They are also used to make a jam/fruit spread.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bozhuyuk |first1=Mehmet R. |title=Morphological and Biochemical Characterization of Wild Sour Cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) Germplasm |journal=Erwerbs - Obstbau |date=2022 |volume=64 |issue=3 |page=357-363 |doi=10.1007/s10341-022-00656-z|url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/morphological-biochemical-characterization-wild/docview/2702345526/se-2|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Sour cherries are particularly common in Turkey, especially in the form of ''vişne suyu'' (sour cherry nectar), a widely consumed beverage, and ''vişne reçeli'' (sour cherry jam), often eaten as part of a traditional breakfast or mixed into plain [[yoghurt]].{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

Sour cherries or sour cherry [[syrup]] are used in [[liqueur]]s and [[drinks]], such as the Romanian [[vișinată]] or the Portuguese [[ginjinha]]. In [[Iran]], [[Turkey]], [[Greece]] and [[Cyprus]], sour cherries are prized for making [[spoon sweets]] by slowly boiling pitted sour cherries and sugar; the syrup thereof is used for ''sharbat-e Albalou'', ''vişne şurubu'' or ''vyssináda'', a beverage made by diluting the syrup with ice-cold water. A particular use of sour cherries is in the production of [[kriek lambic]], a cherry-flavored variety of a naturally [[fermented]] [[beer]] made in Belgium.<ref>{{Cite book  | last = Jackson | first = Michael | title = The Simon Schuster Pocket Guide to Beer | publisher = Simon and Schuster | date = 1997 | page = 80 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=p24Ktw6BDVoC&pg=PA80 | isbn = 978-0-684-84381-0}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=28 September 2021|title=Guinda|url=https://frutasdelbosque.org/guinda/|website=Frutasdelbosque.org|language=es}}</ref>
In Germany and Austria, sour cherries are used for desserts such as the [[donauwelle]]. [[Cherry bounce]] is made by infusing sour cherries in old French brandy.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:SourcherryYield.png|Worldwide sour cherry production, 2024
File:Ripe sour cherries on a branch.jpg|Ripe sour cherries, Hungary
File:Black Che.jpg|Ripe sour cherries and their leaves, Iran
File:Owoce Wiśnia.jpg|Sour cherries
File:Kriek Beer 1.jpg|[[Kriek lambic]] is infused with sour cherries.
</gallery>

==Cultivars==
Some notable cultivars are:
* [[Morello cherry|Morello]]
* [[Ostheim cherry]]
* [[Stevnsbær]]
* [[Pándy meggy]]
* [[Amarena cherry]] (''Prunus cerasus'' var. ''amarena'')
* [[Marasca cherry]] (''Prunus cerasus'' var. ''marasca'')
* [[Griotte de Kleparow]]
* [[Balaton cherry]]
* [[Montmorency cherry]]
* [[North Star cherry]], a [[dwarfing|dwarf]] variety

For commercial production, "Morello" is the main cultivar grown in Central Europe, while the "Montmorency" variety is the most common in the US.<ref name="Quero-García et al 2019">José Quero-García, Amy Iezzoni, Gregorio López-Ortega, Cameron Peace, Mathieu Fouché, Elisabeth Dirlewanger, Mirko Schuster, 2019: Advances and challenges in cherry breeding, DOI 10.19103/AS.2018.0040.17</ref> [[Kütahya cherry|Kütahya]] is the most important in Turkey, [[Oblačinska]] in Serbia.

==See also==
* [[Fruit tree propagation]]
* [[Ginjinha]], a Portuguese liqueur made from sour cherries
* [[Kirsch]]
* [[Kriek]], a traditional Belgian beer made with sour cherries
* [[Pruning fruit trees]]
* [[Sour cherry soup]]
* ''[[Syzygium corynanthum]]'', an Australian [[rainforest]] tree also known as the sour cherry
* [[Vișinată]], a Romanian liqueur made with sour cherries (''vișina'' in Romanian)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite journal |date=1991 |first1=Johan |last1=Ehrlén |first2=Ove |last2=Eriksson |title=Phenological variation in fruit characteristics in vertebrate-dispersed plants |pages=463–470 |doi=10.1007/BF00318311 |journal=Oecologia |issn=0029-8549 |volume=86 |issue=4}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}

* {{PFAF|Prunus cerasus}}
* {{PFAF|Prunus cerasus austera}}
* {{PFAF|Prunus cerasus caproniana}}
* {{PFAF|Prunus cerasus frutescens}}
* {{PFAF|Prunus cerasus marasca}}

{{Cherries}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q131517}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cherries]]
[[Category:Flora of Europe]]
[[Category:Flora of Western Asia]]
[[Category:Flora of the Caucasus]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1753]]
[[Category:Prunus|cerasus]]
[[Category:Sour cherries]]
[[Category:Sour fruits|Sour cherry (''Prunus cerasus'')]]
[[Category:Fruit trees]]
[[Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]