Since ancient times, Bird Cherry has been a symbol of tenderness, youth, purity and love. The patroness of lovers, Bird Cherry, with her delicate aroma, protected not only their secrets, but also healed spiritual wounds.

There are many legends telling about the appearance of Bird Cherry in this world. According to legend, a girl suffering from unrequited love for a young man turned into a tree. Her heart has grown cold, so at the time when the Bird Cherry blossoms, cold nights and days come.

The Slavs considered the tree sacred and protected, looked after, and protected from evil spirits.

names of bird cherry

Among the people, Cheryomukha had many names: Cheremshina, Glotukha, Kolokolushka and others.

The tree received its current name due to the color of the trunk.

The word “Cheryomukha” has roots in the Old Russian word “cherma”, which meant “swarthy”.

For the first time, a description of this fragrant tree appeared in ancient Russian writing in the 15th century.

The Latin name for Bird Cherry “prunus padus” has Arabic roots and actually means “Common Bird Cherry”.

WHAT CHERRY LOOKS LIKE

Bird cherry's relatives are plum and cherry, which is why the trees are so similar. The similarity is especially noticeable during flowering.

Bird cherry looks like a shrub or a tall lush tree with a dense crown, ranging from 10 to 18 meters in height. The trunk thickness is up to half a meter.

The green leaves below are dark gray. The fruits are black, shiny, taste sweet and at the same time astringent.

Blooming Bird Cherry cannot be confused with anything. Its distinct aroma spreads throughout the forest for many hundreds of meters.

The bark is dark gray and moderately smooth, with pimples.

Bird cherry begins to bear fruit at 4-5 years of age and can live up to 100 years.

Bird cherry wood has an interesting twisted texture and unusual patterns on different sections of the trunk

Where does Bird Cherry grow?

The most common type of tree is “Common bird cherry” or “Brush cherry”. It grows throughout Russia, mainly in the European part, as well as in Siberia and the Far East. Plant species are found in Central and Eastern Asia, Africa and other countries.

Bird cherry prefers moderately moist and rich soils. It grows along river banks, near watersheds, in bush thickets, and is found on the edges.

There are about 20 species of bird cherry.

When does the bird cherry blossom

This magnificent tree blooms annually in May - June. The black fruits, reminiscent of small cherries, ripen in July or August.

Bird cherry blooms profusely every year with white fragrant tassels with a strong odor, however, fruiting is often interrupted by frosts, diseases and all kinds of pests.

Medicinal properties of bird cherry

Bird cherry fruits contain calcium and potassium, phytoncides, vitamins E, P, C, sugars, organic acids, essential oils and tannins. Despite the rich composition, uncontrolled consumption of fruits can lead to unpleasant consequences.

The bark, leaves and fruits of Bird Cherry are used for medicinal purposes.

Thanks to their astringent properties, the fruits are an excellent remedy for combating diarrhea and intestinal disorders.

Phytoncides contained in the leaves and bark of Bird Cherry can disinfect the air.

Decoctions from tree bark have a tonic and sedative effect, and are indicated for people with heart disease. The decoction is also used to relieve toothache and as a diuretic.

Decoction, compote and jelly from the fruits are an excellent remedy for the fight against vitamin deficiency and scurvy.

Due to its bactericidal properties, the juice from the pulp of the fruit copes well with purulent wounds, bruises and cuts.

Pharmacies sell Bird Cherry fruits, which have an astringent and anti-inflammatory effect.

Bird cherry flowers and branches are used to control insects. However, it is not recommended to leave Bird Cherry indoors for more than 30 minutes.

Heavy and strong Cher wood e flies are used in the manufacture of percussion instrument handles. However, due to its flexibility, wood is often used in carpentry to make bent parts. In the old days, hoops, baskets and frames for sleighs were made from steamed rods.

Wood resists moisture well, so it used to be used to make a “roller” for beating out linen.

The strong and dense structure of the wood allows for fine carving.

In modern medicine, Bird Cherry is rarely used, since the alkaloids it contains can cause poisoning. All parts of the plant, except the fruits, contain phytoncides, which are broken down into hydrocyanic acid.

Bird cherry bark is used to make natural green or burgundy paints.

The ground fruits are used in cooking and added to flour when making traditional Siberian pies. The fruits are also used to make jelly and compote.

Contraindications

Bird cherry fruits are contraindicated for pregnant women, as they can affect the condition of the fetus. Pregnant women should also not inhale the aroma of Bird Cherry flowers.

Eating large amounts of bird cherry flour can cause poisoning, so in cooking it is better to use the fruit with the pit removed.

Bird cherry bouquets are fragrant and beautiful decorations in the house. At the same time, they can cause real poisoning. In order to get rid of insects and disinfect the room, it is enough to hold a bouquet of Bird Cherry flowers or branches in the center of the room for half an hour.

Bird cherry - interesting facts

In our country there are three rivers with the name “Cheryomukha”.

The source of aroma in Bird Cherry is small glands located on the cuttings.

In the old days, to get rid of mice, a bouquet of bird cherry was left in the room.

Archaeological excavations have proven that the fruits of Bird Cherry were used by man in the Stone Age.

Photos used in the article: ivanov-vean, TIM-1962 ,endmade , Tatiana , Woodmen19 (Yandex.Photos)

An anomalous phenomenon occurred in the Bodaibinsky district and the suburbs of Irkutsk

Last week, two anomalous phenomena were recorded in the Irkutsk region. In the Bodaibo region, instead of ordinary berries, bird cherry bushes grew pods that looked like beans. After a TV news story about such an atypical phenomenon, it turned out that plants were mutating not only in Bodaibo. At dachas in the suburbs of Irkutsk, pods also grow, although not on bird cherry, but on cherry.

Siberian devilry
When the bird cherry tree blossomed in the Bodaibinsky district in early spring, residents were quite surprised. Instead of beautiful and fragrant white ones, bright pink inflorescences adorned the branches. For a long time people discussed the “devilishness”, but the reasons for it were never identified.
After the flowers, it's time for berries. Imagine people's surprise when, instead of ordinary fruits, five-centimeter pods grew on the bird cherry tree, very similar in shape to beans. They turned out to be empty from the inside. What is even more surprising and intriguing is that “bean cherry” grows both on individual branches and next to ordinary berries.
After a story about the anomalous Bodaibo trees was shown on TV, it turned out that nature jokes not only there. In the suburbs of Irkutsk, almost every garden has a garden in which pods grow instead of berries. True, these “beans” are no longer “bird cherry”, but “cherry”.
Irkutsk summer residents suspected something was wrong back in the spring, after flowering had ended, when they noticed that instead of seeds there was a white liquid inside the berries. And then these berries began to stretch out and turned into pods.
Or maybe radioactive rain?
It is clear that plants mutate. In the scientific literature, the term “mutation” stands for an abrupt change in heredity. It is also indicated that this process can occur for no apparent reason. Probably, natural anomalies in Irkutsk are just such a case. Although gardeners and local residents make their own assumptions about this. Many Bodaibo residents say the cause of the mutation is a meteorite that fell two years ago, and Irkutsk residents associate this fact with emissions in Angarsk. A considerable number of people are convinced that plant mutation is nothing more than the consequences of radioactive rain.
Initially, a version was put forward that cross-pollination occurred between the plants. But it was not confirmed, since biologists unanimously claim that legumes and trees have completely different cell structures.
In order to find out what scientists think about this, we turned to the Siberian Institute of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry.
“Unfortunately, these phenomena remain a mystery for us,” says Rurik Konstantinovich Salyaev, consultant to the laboratory of plant cell physiology, senior researcher, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. - Since the plant mutation began for no apparent reason, long and thorough research must be carried out to explain it. You should study both the plants themselves and the ecology of the area in which they grow, climate, soil, and so on.
Our institute cannot conduct such research, since we do not have geneticists. Our colleagues from the Novosibirsk Research Institute of Cytology and Genetics can help establish the true cause of the mutation. So far they are not conducting such research.
The scientific literature indicates several factors that entail the possibility of plant mutation. One of them is the inability of nutrition to penetrate cells. In environmentally unfavorable areas, this fact is often observed.
One of the main factors that can stimulate genetic mutations is considered to be ionizing radiation, which, albeit in small doses, is constantly present in our environment. According to recent studies, this radiation is practically harmless to humans, but has a very adverse effect on plants and animals. This is because their DNA is more vulnerable to exposure to ionizing radiation.
When exposed to cells, forming tissues change their structure and pass it on to next generations in the form of genetic mutations. Most of these mutational changes are harmful, and only a very few may be beneficial.
One of the reasons for the mutation may be soil pollution and close proximity to the highway.
Mutants interested Kosmopoisk
After abnormal mutant plants were shown on television, the Kosmopoisk research association decided to urgently send an expedition to the Irkutsk region. Researchers intend to once again follow in the footsteps of the Bodaibo meteorite. It is possible that it was the fall of the celestial body that caused the genetic mutation of plants.
Years of research lie ahead. And only then will the secret of “bird cherry and cherry beans” be revealed to people. In the meantime, Irkutsk summer residents can only continue to observe unusual plants and wait to see what will come of them tomorrow.

The time of young fruit ovaries begins.


The green ovaries of future bird cherry drupes begin to set and grow rapidly. The bird cherry fruit is not a berry at all, but a drupe.They are not yet round, like when ripe, but round-conical, ovoid.On the clusters you can see dense green fruits of various sizes. This happens because the buds bloom unevenly and gradually.

Dots are visible on some ovaries. These are traces of the ovipositor of weevils. There are thorough observations of the weevil on damage to cherries in N. Plavilshchikov’s wonderful book “Entertaining Entomology.” According to Plavilshchikov’s observations, the cherry fruit is damaged by the female when the cherries begin to turn red, but the pit has not yet hardened.

A significant number of bird cherry fruits with holes makes one think that egg laying in the bird cherry fruits has already occurred. Although I could be wrong, I didn’t notice the beetles themselves. I will leave this observation under control for now.

Round holes are visible here and there on the leaves of the bird cherry tree. These are characteristic traces of the work of a leaf cutter bee. I really want to photograph this insect at work. Leaf-cutter bees, using their jaws, cut out circles from the leaf blades of plants, most often Rosaceae, and then carry them to their nest, where they transfer the pollen stored for the larva.

If you take a closer look at the leaves, you will notice that the number of aphids has increased tenfold. They actively secrete honeydew, which contains sugar. Honeydew drips onto the leaves below, these droplets make the leaf sticky. The ants collect the thickened syrup below.

Ladybugs do not give up hope of snacking on sweet aphids. But they are vigilantly guarded by ants. Ladybug is forced to flee.

I was much more excited about this find. This is a bird cherry ermine moth nest. During the period of mass reproduction, these creatures are capable of destroying all the foliage on a tree, entangling it in a cobweb shroud. This is an unpleasant and even frightening sight.

Another interesting find is strange pod-like outgrowths instead of some fruits. When I first saw them, I thought they were Gauls. Growths in which special small insects live - gallworms. When I broke the pod, I was very surprised - it was empty and smooth inside. Perhaps it’s some kind of mutation, I decided.

After some time, I found out what was the real reason for such disfigured bird cherry fruits. And this surprised me very much! I love solving such riddles. The search for causality is a lot of fun. And now comes the moment of revealing the secret. And you say to yourself - and what can happen in the world!

Such fruit deformities are caused by the tafrin fungus from the group of ascomycetes (marsupial fungi). Its Latin name is Taphrina padi. They are the ones who create these puffy “pockets” instead of fruits. Related fungi in this group cause such phenomena as witches' brooms on trees and curly deformation of leaves.

Gradually, such a fruit dries out and falls to the ground, where the taphrina spores will overwinter. This fact probably explains why most of the pockets are located on the lower branches, close to the ground.

In some cases, there is massive damage to the bird cherry ovaries by taffrin, and then the tree cannot produce full fruits.

I hope you can find a lot of interesting things in the round dance around the bird cherry, even after it blooms. I wish you interesting observations and clues to the secrets of nature. This is an incomparable pleasure!

A few years ago I planted a bird cherry tree near the fence. This year it bloomed for the first time.“Once upon a time in our village there was a bird cherry tree growing near every house. But it did not always bear fruit, and there were a lot of aphids on it. Therefore, the owners began to gradually part with it, replacing it with lilac. The most patient ones cut down the trees only after they had stood for half the summer, completely covered with some kind of white-gray cobweb. The sight was terrible. They didn’t know what would happen next to the bird cherry tree, so they cut it down together, some taller, some closer to the ground. But what’s surprising is that for those owners who never found the time to uproot the remains of the bird cherry tree, after a few years it came to life and even pleased with the berries,” a friend told me when she saw a blooming bird cherry tree on my plot. I also happened to see a similar picture once - in the middle of summer, bird cherry trees tangled in a white, or rather, gray web. Some caterpillars were crawling around in it. As it turned out, it was an outbreak of bird cherry ermine moth breeding. So sometimes harmless, even cute-looking butterflies become the cause of real disaster.

Dangerous moth

This moth has adapted to life on bird cherry trees. In the summer, after mating, which occurs a few days or weeks after the butterflies hatch, the females look for overwintering buds and lay eggs on them. Soon caterpillars emerge from them, preferring to remain invisible until next summer and overwinter under the bud scales. In the spring, when the buds begin to bloom, the caterpillars move to the tender shoots that are beginning to grow. They grow quickly and initially stick together in a dense group, entwining the shoot with a thin web in the form of a nest, which becomes larger and denser as the caterpillars grow. With the massive development of caterpillars, the tree can become silver-gray from cobweb nests, as if it were a solid cocoon. In this case, the web entangles not only the branches to the very top, but also the entire trunk to the very soil, and sometimes spreads to objects located near the trunk, such as bicycles. My friend and I observed this picture in different places in the Arkhangelsk region.

Birds are too tough

This cocoon on the tree is the result of caterpillar activity. They are yellowish, strewn with black spots, and wrap themselves in thin cobweb threads. Almost no one eats them, since birds cannot break through the dense web and destroy the caterpillars. Even after the butterflies have flown out, the trees remain in the threads tightened on their trunks until autumn. The caterpillars gather in the forks of the trunk or on bare branches. The strongest and largest ones pupate first. They weave a very dense silky cocoon in the middle of the loose shell of the nest and pupate in it. Once the caterpillars have eaten enough food, they join others that have already formed cocoons, resulting in a thick nest containing up to a hundred caterpillars. Gradually, at the top, on the tree, there are fewer and fewer leaves; the last caterpillars fail to create a cocoon, since they do not have enough nutrition to accumulate strength for further transformation. And they die nobly, while entwining the pupae of their more successful relatives with all the web that they are capable of producing. A few weeks later the butterflies fly out and everything repeats again. And by this time the tree blooms new leaves, which remain untouched, since there are no more caterpillars. The tree most often with difficulty, but still straightens itself.

Nature regulates

This butterfly is very widespread. Its habitat includes almost all of Europe, as well as Russia, Indochina, and Japan. From time to time, this species experiences mass reproduction of larvae. Outbreaks of cherry tree ermine infestation of bird cherry trees occur periodically, and it is impossible to predict the next outbreak. Late spring frosts and bird cherry cold, which almost always accompany bird cherry blossoms, cause the death of the most nimble caterpillars, thereby significantly reducing the army of bird cherry ermine moths. For procreation, only those caterpillars that hatch after the end of frost remain - this mechanism for regulating the number of pests is determined by nature itself.

Control measures

Considering that bird cherry ermine moth caterpillars are quite highly sensitive to biological products based on entomopathogenic bacteria, treatments with the biological product lepidocid against younger caterpillars are quite effective. You can also cut off the cocoons one by one along with the voracious creatures and be sure to burn them, pour boiling water on them or destroy them in another way. As a preventative measure, trees are sprayed in the spring with preparations (confidor, karate, lepidocide, fitoverm) before the leaves have fully blossomed. In this case, chemical preparations can be sprayed once, but biological preparations (the last two) will have to be repeated every ten days in dry, windless weather.

Left without berries

My bird cherry tree has bloomed. But instead of berries, I saw some strange pods. It seemed like there was some kind of cross-pollination with the beans. In fact, the bird cherry fruits acquired such an ugly shape under the influence of a parasitic fungus, which is called plum pockets, or, popularly, dutiki, due to the fact that it causes ugly growth of the fruits. The mycelium of this mushroom overwinters in the crown of trees, cracks in the bark and between the scales of the buds. In spring, it quickly continues its development in the tissues of the future ovary. If you look closely at the flowers, you will notice signs of abnormality: the petals have not yet fallen, but the stamens and pistils have increased significantly in size, and the ovaries have swollen. Similar changes in fruit shape are observed on plum and cherry plum. Elongated yellowish-white ovaries, curved and covered with wrinkles, most often fall off along with the barren flower, but sometimes they flaunt on the tree for some time, surprising with the bizarreness of their shapes and upsetting the loss of the harvest.

The mushroom is to blame

Plum pockets are a widespread fungal disease of stone fruits. When severely developed, the disease causes significant losses, since the affected fruits are unfit for consumption. The length of the affected fruits sometimes reaches 3 cm, they are irregular in shape, sometimes curved, fleshy, but not juicy. There is no seed, which is why the flesh inside the fruit is wrinkled and greenish in color. At the end of June - beginning of July, the surface of the affected fruits is covered with a whitish-gray waxy coating of marsupial sporulation of the fungus. The spores disperse and end up in the folds of the bark and on the buds, where they overwinter. The mycelium also overwinters on the affected branches. In the spring, during the flowering of bird cherry, the flowers become infected, from which blown fruits develop. Infection can also occur with overwintered mycelium, which in the spring from the shoot along the pedicels enters the flowers. The fungus develops in one generation, and the disease does not spread in summer. A large number of “pockets” develop mainly in cool and damp weather, and the flowering of bird cherry, as a rule, coincides with a cold snap. When the disease develops strongly on trees, more than 50-60 percent of the affected fruits occur.

Control measures

It is possible to prevent the spread of the disease in the area, but you will have to try hard to do this. First, you need to carefully remove and burn diseased pocket fruits (both those that have fallen to the ground and those remaining on the branches) until they begin to “gather dust.” This is especially difficult to do on large trees. Therefore, it is easier to trim and burn the branches that have pockets, which is what I did this year. At this time, a neighbor passed by and said that the elongated fruits on the bird cherry tree were the result of under-pollination and there was no point in fighting it. And when I tried to prove to him that this was a dangerous disease, he, citing the authority of some Vasily, left with his own opinion. The spores of this fungus are volatile, and given that the neighbors will not protect their trees, next spring you will have to treat them with pesticides. Trees are sprayed against plum pockets three times: before buds open, with a 0.75-1 percent solution of copper sulfate; during the period of kidney swelling with 3% Bordeaux mixture; immediately after flowering, spraying with 1% Bordeaux mixture, 0.3% copper oxychloride or another fungicide is effective. In addition, it is taken into account that varieties with a late and extended flowering period are more affected and, conversely, varieties with a short and early flowering period are less affected.

Another misfortune

It is also not recommended to plant ordinary bird cherry on the site because a dangerous pest of black currant - glassberry, which manifests itself in the form of drying branches, flowers and berries, overwinters on it. If you cut off a damaged currant branch, a black cavity will open inside, eaten away by the pest's caterpillar. In the spring (during cherry blossoms), when the glass flies from the bird cherry to the currant, the bushes are sprayed with infusions with a pungent odor (pine needles, garlic, tansy, citrus peels) to disorient the pest. Having discovered damaged branches, they are cut out and burned. I'm sorry to part with the bird cherry. She's so dressed up for spring! Therefore, I’ll try to fight for it - it’s never too late to cut it down, but my hand doesn’t rise. In the meantime, the red Virginia bird cherry is growing, which pests and diseases like less. Photo by Sergei Karepanov, Marina Merzlikina, Yana Yanovich, Ekaterina Mozolevskaya, Tatyana Sharap, Alexey Shcherbakov, Alexey Zhukov, Tatyana Strukova

We recognize this tree primarily by its flowers - white, sometimes pinkish, fragrant racemes. Bird cherry blossoms at the very moment when spring comes into its own - a temporary cooling occurs, immediately followed by almost summer warmth. The blond beauty is good in hedges, in single and group plantings, and near water...

The genus and its representatives

Olga Nikitina

Rod Cheremukha ( Padus) belongs to the large family Rosaceae and has 20 species, which mainly grow in East Asia and North America. The genus includes deciduous trees, less often shrubs with simple serrated leaves. The flowers are white, fragrant, collected in racemes, the fruit is a juicy drupe.

Bird cherry trees usually grow on fertile soils with excess flowing moisture or in the mountains - on rocky slopes and screes. In forests they can be found on the edges or among bushes.

The wood of representatives of this genus is diffusely porous, with a reddish-brown core, dense, and in some species with a pleasant odor. Used for small crafts such as smoking pipes, as well as for making bent furniture and turning products.

In culture, bird cherry trees have long been used as trees that bloom profusely in spring, which at this time can outshine many other tree and shrub species in their appearance. They are planted in both pure and mixed groups. As for bird cherry fruits, in most species they are attractive only to birds, although some garden centers now offer large-fruited varieties that are palatable.

Bird cherry is an unpretentious tree species. It is undemanding to soil and watering, and can grow both in well-lit places and in partial shade. But, of course, it develops better in nutritious, moderately moist soils and in good light. Mature plants provide a lot of shade, and this must be taken into account when building compositions using bird cherry trees.

Bird cherry leaf litter helps improve litter, as its leaves are rich in lime, potassium and nitrogen.
Caring for bird cherry is simple; it consists mainly of loosening the soil around the plant and removing weeds, as well as applying root and foliar fertilizers. If necessary, carry out sanitary and formative pruning.

Bird cherry leaf litter helps improve litter, as its leaves are rich in lime, potassium and nitrogen.

Among the species diversity of the genus in our country, the most widespread is h. ordinary (P. rasemosa), the range of which in the north reaches the forest-tundra, in the east - to the Yenisei River, in the south - to the forests of the Caucasus. This tree is up to 17 m high, with a broadly ovate crown, the trunk is covered with brown-black cracking bark. During flowering, Ch. vulgaris is covered with white fragrant racemes up to 12 cm long and turns into a fairy-tale beauty. The black drupes that ripen towards the end of summer are pecked with pleasure by birds, and in Siberia and the Urals local residents use them for food, grinding them into flour suitable for filling pies and jelly.

Among the decorative varieties of black cherry, the most interesting and original are considered to be ‘ Colorata' And ' Purple Queen’, having oval copper-purple leaves, especially bright when blooming, and pinkish inflorescences. The big disadvantage is the abundant root growth that has to be dealt with. But groups and single plantings involving these bird cherry trees turn out to be very attractive. There are also a number of beautifully flowering varieties: ‘ Plena’ – with large double flowers; ‘ Watereri’ – with multi-flowered inflorescences up to 20 cm long; ‘ Alberti’ – with an unusual vertical crown.

Bird cherry Maak (P. maackii) is a tree up to 15 m high, with a spreading loose crown, growing in the Ussuri taiga. It is distinguished by exfoliating bronze bark, reminiscent of birch. The leaves are elliptical, up to 10 cm long, on long petioles, finely serrated along the edges. In autumn they turn yellow. Flower brushes are denser than the previous type. Bird cherry Poppy is a very winter-hardy and fast-growing tree species. These properties of I.V. Michurin used it in breeding high-yielding, cold-resistant sweet varieties of cherries. Bird cherry Poppy is indispensable for landscape parks and urban landscaping. She is especially good in bouquet plantings, which can be admired in the Biryulevsky Arboretum in Moscow.

Bird cherry finely serrated (P. serrulata) - a tree up to 25 m high, with an ovoid crown, growing in the Primorsky Territory and Sakhalin. The trunk is covered with smooth brownish-gray bark. The leaves are elliptical, with a strongly retracted tip, bronze in color when blooming, light green and orange in summer, violet-brown in autumn. Flowers up to 3 cm in diameter, white or pink, collected in few-flowered racemes of 2–4 pieces. It is considered one of the most beautifully flowering bird cherry trees, but is less frost-resistant than previous species.

Bird cherry syori (P. ssiori) is a low tree with dark gray bark, growing on Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. The leaves are elliptical or ovate, up to 14 cm long. White, small flowers are collected in multi-flowered narrow cone-shaped racemes up to 15 cm long. It is considered a very frost-resistant species.

Bird cherry magalepka, or antipka (P. mahaleb), is a low bush-like tree with a spherical crown. The bark is dark brown, smelling of coumarin. Grows in the Tien Shan, Pamir-Alai, eastern Transcaucasia, Crimea. One of the most drought-resistant species. From the leaves and fruits, fragrant water is obtained by distillation, used in perfumery. Unlike many other types of bird cherry, it does not produce root suckers and tolerates shearing well, so it is used to create tall hedges, including clipped ones.

North American species such as part late, Part virginia, h. Pennsylvanian.

Late bird cherry (P. serotina) is a fast-growing tree up to 30 m high, with dark brown, finely fissured, aromatic bark. It is very decorative because of its shiny dark green foliage, which turns an intense light yellow color in the fall. In the USA, pink-brown wood of this type is highly valued and is widely used in furniture production and finishing work.

Bird cherry virginia (P. virginiana) - a tree up to 15 m high with a broadly ovoid crown. The trunk is covered with finely scaly black bark with an unpleasant odor. Its dark red drupes are not only beautiful, but also edible. Often used in green building, especially decorative deciduous varieties:

‘Canada Red’ is a shrub up to 5 m high. When blooming, the leaves are green, then become dark burgundy. Looks great during flowering, when white, racemose inflorescences appear on the branches;

‘Schubert’ is a shrub up to 3–4 m high. The leaves are glossy, red-violet, up to 10 cm long. The only drawback of these varieties is that they produce abundant root shoots.

Pennsylvania bird cherry ( P. pensilvanica) - a tree up to 13 m high with a narrow ovoid crown. The trunk is covered with dark brown aromatic bark. The white flowers are collected in very short racemes, more like an umbrella, so some taxonomists classify this species as belonging to the genus Cherry.

Pennsylvania bird cherry is quite suitable for solitary planting, in groups and trimmed hedges.

Bird cherry
Bird cherry
Bird cherry ‘Colorata’

Bird cherry maaka
Bird cherry Maak
Bird cherry virginia

Bird cherry diseases

Ella Sokolva, Candidate of Biological Sciences

Diseases of fungal origin predominate on both wild and ornamental bird cherry species growing in Russia. The degree of harm they cause depends both on the biological characteristics of the pathogens and the affected bird cherry species, and on environmental conditions.

Fruit grower diseases

Fruit deformation (pockets). The causative agent is a fungus Taphrina pruni. In affected fruits, increased growth of the fleshy part - the ovary - occurs and the development of the stone is suppressed. As a result, diseased fruits take on the appearance of ugly brown sac-like structures, hollow inside - pockets. The massive development of the disease leads to a decrease in yield, and in urban plantings - to a loss of decorativeness of trees.

Leaf diseases

Leaf rust . The causative agent is a fungus Thecopsora pad i (= Th. areolata). It alternately develops on cones of spruce and bird cherry. Bird cherry leaves become infected from diseased spruce cones. In summer, small, angular, red-purple spots form on the undersides of the leaves. Later, dark reddish-brown spots appear on the upper side.

The disease occurs in forests and forest parks.

Hole spot (clusterosporiosis) leaves. The causative agent is a fungus Clusterosporium carpophilum (= Stigmina carpophila). At the beginning of summer, rounded light brown spots with a red-brown or crimson border, 2–5 mm in diameter, form on the leaves. With severe development of the disease, numerous spots along the edges of the leaves and near the main vein merge. After the spots fall out, round holes remain in their place, as a result of which the affected leaves look as if they had been eaten by leaf-eating insects.

Brown leaf spot . The causative agent is a fungus Gloeosporium padi. In the second half of summer, large rounded brown or brown-green spots appear on the leaves. On the upper side of the spots, sporulation of the fungus forms in the form of numerous small yellowish-brown pads. With severe development of the disease, the spots merge, covering almost the entire surface of the leaves.

Orange leaf spot . The causative agent is a fungus Polystigma ochraceum. In the second half of summer, round or angular spots with a diameter of up to 10 mm, flat or slightly convex, appear on the leaves of common bird cherry. At first they are bright orange, later they acquire a red-brown color. Often numerous spots merge, covering most of the leaf surface. The disease is widespread in Siberia and the Far East.

Purple leaf spot . The causative agent is a fungus Asteroma padi. Common bird cherry is affected. In the second half of summer, large round grayish-violet or brown-violet spots with a diameter of up to 15 mm, with blurry edges, often covering almost the entire surface of the leaves, form on the leaves.

Spotting leads to a decrease in the decorative value of trees and premature leaf fall. To protect against spotting, it is necessary to rake and destroy fallen leaves. In case of systematic damage, the crowns are sprayed with Bordeaux mixture or Fundazol in the summer.

Monilial burn (moniliosis). The causative agent is a fungus Monilia laxa. Flowers, leaves, shoots, and fruits are affected. In the spring, the flowers turn brown and dry up, and later the leaves and young shoots, which often remain hanging on the tree until the next spring. Sick trees look like they have been damaged by frost or fire. The disease develops most actively in conditions of high humidity.

To protect against moniliosis, it is necessary to prune dried shoots and branches, and in the spring, before and after flowering, spray the crowns with Bordeaux mixture.

Diseases of trunks and branches

Cytospore necrosis (cytosporosis) of trunks and branches. The causative agent is fungi from the genus Cytospora. The affected bark of trunks and branches dies around their circumference or in individual areas. In the dead bark, sporulation of pathogens is formed, which look like numerous small conical tubercles, completely covering the affected areas. Fungal spores emerging on the surface of the bark look like reddish or bright red drops or flagella.

Cytosporosis affects trees against the background of preliminary weakening, accelerates it and often leads to the death of plants.

Limiting the spread of cytosporosis is facilitated by the creation of optimal conditions for the growth and development of plants, timely pruning of affected and withered branches, which are a source of infection.

Gum treatment . The disease manifests itself in the release of a sticky amber-yellow or brown liquid – gum – on various plant organs. The release of gum is accompanied by some infectious diseases of bird cherry: clasterosporiasis, moniliosis, cytosporosis, as well as mechanical damage, frost-sunburn, etc. Gum discharge contributes to the death of shoots and branches.

The fight against gum deposition includes: prevention of mechanical damage; carrying out a set of measures to protect against pests and diseases; creating optimal conditions for plant growth and development.
Brown rot of roots. The causative agent is the tinder fungus Schweinitz ( Phaeolus schweinitzii). Rot develops in the central part of the roots and trunks. At the base of the trunks, large funnel-shaped yellow-brown, velvety fruiting bodies of the fungus are formed. Old bird cherry trees in forest and parkland plantings are affected. Sick trees fall out with the wind, and in more rare cases, dry out.

Trunk rot Bird cherry is caused by various wood-destroying fungi, of which the most common are: plum tinder fungus ( Phellinus tuberculosus), sulfur-yellow tinder fungus ( Laetiporus sulphureus), false tinder fungus ( Phellinus igniarius), chondrostereum purpurea ( Chondrostereum purpureum).

Stem rot contributes to brown wood, which poses a great danger in urban plantings and on private property. Therefore, trees showing signs of rot must be taken under control and, if there is a real threat, they must be removed.

Fruit deformation (pockets)
Orange leaf spot
Fruiting bodies of the sulfur-yellow tinder fungus

Bird cherry pests

Tamara Galasyeva, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences

Of the bird cherry pests, more than a hundred species of insects and herbivorous mites are known, damaging almost all vegetative and generative organs of the plant: buds, leaves, shoots, flowers, fruits and trunks. Most bird cherry pests are polyphagous, i.e. they also feed on other types of woody plants, especially those belonging to the Rosaceae family.

Sucking pests

Sucking insects and mites feed on sap from buds, leaves, shoots, branches and trunks.

These include several species of coccids (scale insects, false scale insects), mealybugs), aphids, psyllids and herbivorous bugs. Most of them can be found on other species: apple scale, willow scale, hall scale, Ussuri scale insect, peach scale (false scale, grass-cherry aphid, etc. When sucking pests multiply in large numbers, curvature of shoots, twisting, yellowing and drying of leaves are observed.

Leaf-eating insects

These insects damage buds, leaves, flowers and green shoots. Caterpillars of the gray pocket moth feed on bird cherry flowers. The shoots are eaten by the larvae of the bird cherry shoot weevil. Caterpillars of butterflies, larvae of sawflies and leaf beetles feed on the leaves. Several dozen species are known from the following families of butterflies: crested butterflies, bear moths, leaf rollers, waveflies, ermine moths, white butterflies and several species of sawflies, including true sawflies and sawfly weavers. The leaves are skeletonized by the larvae of the bird cherry leaf beetle.

In bird cherry thickets and on separately growing trees, outbreaks of mass reproduction of hawthorn and bird cherry moths sometimes occur. The caterpillars of these butterfly species live and feed in web nests, weaving together several leaves on a branch or shoots.

Miners and gall formers

Miners are insects whose larvae feed inside leaf tissue and form mines of various colors and shapes in the leaves. There are several known species of insect miners, the most common of which is the apple leaf miner, which forms long narrow mines on the leaves.

Galls on bird cherry leaves are created mainly by herbivorous mites. Galls in the form of small whitish or pinkish horns up to 4 mm high are formed by the bird cherry gall mite. Galls in the form of small white or brown felts on the lower, less often the upper side of the leaves belong to the bird cherry felt mite.

Stem pests

Pests of wood and bark of trunks and branches are classified as xylophagous insects, or stem pests. Several dozen species from the families of bark beetles (genus Scolytus, Anisandrus, Lymantor, Polygraphus) and longhorned beetles (genus Pogonocherus). They all settle on drying and withered trunks and branches.

Pests of fruits and seeds

Pests of fruits and seeds are called carpophages. The pulp of the fruit is eaten by the larvae of the cherry fruit sawfly, and the contents of the seeds are eaten by the larvae of the stone beetle.

Bird cherry fruits are pecked by birds and eaten by many mammals - from chipmunks and squirrels to bears.

Bird cherry crown damaged by bird cherry moth
Web nest of bird cherry moth with its caterpillars
Hawthorn butterflies

Galls of the bird cherry gall mite
Apple leaf miner mine
Galls of the bird cherry felt mite

Bird cherry in landscape design

Olga Nikitina

In former times, bird cherry was an indispensable attribute of Russian gardens; it was praised as an elegant tree with an openwork crown, with snow-white clusters of inflorescences and an intoxicating aroma, and was valued for its medicinal tart berries. Nowadays, ordinary bird cherry is no longer in fashion. Due to its lush crown, the tree takes up too much space in the garden; moreover, it has become familiar, has become familiar and is no longer perceived as a miracle.

However, romantics and lovers of natural beauty still freeze with delight at the sight of a flirtatious beauty dressed in a dress made of white flowers. Specially bred varieties of bird cherry are popular, characterized by abundant and long-lasting flowering, large inflorescences, and unusual coloring of flowers and leaves.

Landing place

You can plant bird cherry in any corner of the garden. It is good near the house, traditionally grows in places for secluded recreation; its spreading and dense crown will successfully cover an unaesthetic building or a rickety fence. The sight of a blooming bird cherry is a magnificent sight, so it will not get lost even in the most remote place.

This tree is often used to decorate forest areas, where it is planted in the undergrowth, grouped in forest edges, and grown near water. Bird cherry is very appropriate when creating a garden of the traditional Russian style in combination with birch, rowan, fruit trees, serviceberry, viburnum, rose hips, lilac and mock orange.

Bird cherry looks beautiful in an open place; here the lush and spreading crown looks most advantageous. For a small area, one tree is enough, then all its beauty will be revealed against the backdrop of a well-groomed lawn. The openwork clean groups of bird cherry trees are charming; some species are suitable for alley plantings.

Companion plants

In mixed group plantings, this tree goes well with many species, although it grows strongly with age, casting a vast shadow. During its flowering period, bird cherry looks like the undisputed dominant of the group, covered with the foam of snow-white inflorescences emitting an intoxicating aroma. As it fades, it becomes a calm green background for other plants.

When selecting companions for bird cherry, preference should be given to deciduous and ornamental plants with spectacular color or leaf shape, as well as trees and shrubs that bloom at other times.

Depending on the desired decorative effect, bird cherry can be formed either on a trunk or in the form of a bush. Bird cherry's hardiness and ability to withstand pruning allow it to be used to create tall green walls and shaped hedges. Since the plant is quite light-loving, the lower part of the hedge becomes bare over time. To avoid a decrease in decorative value, it is recommended to cover exposed trunks with a layer of hedges made of bushes.

Bird cherry berries

Bird cherry berries, with a large stone and almost no pulp, are of little interest to gourmets, but are extremely attractive to birds. So, having planted bird cherry in your garden, you can be sure that bird trills will certainly sound here.

Those who want to plant bird cherry not only as an ornamental, but also as a food crop, should pay attention to large-fruited varieties. Modern cultivated varieties have rather large berries, with a more delicate taste, which has more viscosity than astringency, and up to 20 kg of harvest can be harvested from one tree.

Depending on the desired decorative effect, bird cherry can be formed either on a trunk or in the form of a bush.

Growing conditions

Bird cherry is very unpretentious, and growing it does not cause much trouble. This crop tolerates shading, is undemanding to the amount of moisture and soil fertility, tolerates urban conditions well, and is very winter-hardy. A well-developed root system allows it to withstand both drought and temporary waterlogging. The leaves, flowers and fruits of bird cherry contain benzoaldehyde, which makes them phytoncidic. The plant secretes phytoncides that kill pathogenic bacteria, which is why bird cherry is little damaged by diseases and pests and even purifies the air around it.

Types and varieties

The most common bird cherry is common, or bird cherry. It blooms early, immediately after the first leaves appear, and therefore looks most impressive. U h. ordinary several attractive ornamental varieties in demand in landscaping.

‘Watereri’ – English variety of the common variety. It is distinguished by multi-flowered inflorescences up to 18–20 cm long, which usually do not droop and are located almost horizontally.

‘Plen a’ has large semi-double flowers. Flowering is not as abundant as that of simple varieties, but longer. The greatest value is the flowers themselves, which look like small roses, and therefore to plant this tree you need to choose a place where you can see such beauty.

‘Colorata’ – one of the most interesting and spectacular varieties of bird cherry, selected in Sweden. The bark and shoots are purple or dark purple; The leaves are bright purple when they bloom, becoming dark green with purple veins in summer. The buds are red, the blossoming flowers are pink, the autumn color of the leaves is pink-red, the fruits are dark red. Later developed variety ‘Purple Queen’ differs in more intense coloring.

U part virginia the flowers are smaller, but they are located in the racemes much more densely. Flowering occurs two weeks later, after the leaves have fully bloomed, which greatly reduces the decorative effect. The most interesting are the red-leaved varieties of this bird cherry:

‘Schubert’ - an American variety with decorative leaf color, green when blooming, then darkening to brownish-burgundy.

U ‘Canada Red’ When blooming, the leaves are also green, later turning burgundy.

Virginia bird cherry easily crosses with black cherry, producing hybrids with intermediate characteristics.

‘Siberian beauty’– a domestic variety bred from crossing the common black pepper with the variety ‘Schubert’ including virginia. Young leaves are green, then the upper side of the leaf blade becomes dark purple in color, and the lower side becomes light purple. The play of colors observed on a windy day looks very impressive and unusual.

Other species are also in demand in landscaping, such as bird cherry Maka, late, and syori.

Healing properties of bird cherry

Marina Kulikova, Candidate of Biological Sciences

Flowers, leaves, and bark of bird cherry are used for medicinal purposes, but bird cherry has found its way into the modern pharmacopoeia thanks to the healing properties of its fruits, which can be considered one of the oldest medicines (they were used by Stone Age man, as evidenced by the results of archaeological excavations ). These fruits have a specific astringent taste and are unlikely to have been consumed as a delicacy.

When using bird cherry for medicinal purposes, it is necessary to strictly follow the collection rules and dosage, since the seeds, flowers, leaves and bark contain the glycoside amygdalin, which can be broken down into glucose and hydrocyanic acid, which is very poisonous. Bird cherry preparations are contraindicated during pregnancy.

Ripe fruits should be collected in dry weather. The best time to collect is in the morning (after the dew has gone) and at the end of the day. The raw material has a faint odor and a sour-sweet taste. Whitish-gray or reddish deposits of crystallized sugar are visible in the folds of dry fruits.

Fruit laid out on baking sheets and dried in dryers (ovens) at a temperature of 40–50 ° C, after which they can be stored for three years. Tannins, amygdalin glycosides, prulaurasin, and prunasin, flavonoids, phytoncides, vitamin C, malic and citric acid, sugars, various mineral elements, including such rare ones as molybdenum, strontium, titanium, were found in the fruits.

A decoction of bird cherry fruits, due to the presence of tannins and organic acids in them, has a pronounced astringent and anti-inflammatory effect. It is used in the treatment of non-infectious diarrhea, dyspepsia, disorders of the stomach and intestines, and dysentery.

Anthocyanins with P-vitamin activity strengthen capillaries. The combination of tannins and anthocyanins provides a sustainable anti-inflammatory effect. An infusion in the form of a lotion is an effective remedy for blepharoconjunctivitis. The fruits are part of stomach tea. The juice is prescribed as a diaphoretic, antiscorbutic, diuretic, and antituberculosis agent; mixed with blueberry juice, it is indicated for gastrointestinal diseases accompanied by diarrhea. In addition, it is used for fever, metabolic disorders, gangrene, and pulmonary tuberculosis.

Decoction of bird cherry fruits: 10 g of dry fruits (1 tbsp) are poured into 200 ml of boiling water and boiled for 10–15 minutes. Then filter. Take 1/3 cup 2-3 times a day before meals. When brewing, tannins pass into the decoction, but the seeds must remain whole to avoid extraction of amygdalin, a source of hydrocyanic acid.

Infusion of bird cherry fruits: 10 g (1 tbsp) of the raw material is placed in an enamel bowl, poured with 200 ml of hot boiled water, covered with a lid and heated in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes, infused at room temperature for 45 minutes, filtered, and squeezed. The volume of the resulting infusion is adjusted to 200 ml with boiled water. The prepared infusion is stored in a cool place for no more than 2 days. Take 1/2 cup a day 30 minutes before meals as an astringent.

Koru And young shoots Bird cherry is also used in folk medicine. They are harvested before the leaves bloom - at the end of April. Then they are cut into small pieces, dried for 24 hours, and then dried in the oven at 50–60 °C. The shelf life of raw materials is 2 years. In addition to the chemical composition already described, the bark also contains hydrocyanic acid.

The bark is used in homeopathy as a tonic and sedative for headaches, heart diseases, and gastrointestinal tract diseases. In folk medicine - for the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, leucorrhoea, intermittent fever, respiratory infections, suffocation, stomach cramps; decoction - for dysentery, bronchitis, as a diuretic and diaphoretic; infusion - for rinsing with toothache; rubbing – for rheumatism and dermatoses.

Decoction of bird cherry bark: 10 g of crushed raw materials are boiled in 200 ml of water for 10 minutes, left for 2 hours, then filtered. Take 1 teaspoon 3-4 times a day.

Flowers harvested at the beginning of flowering. Dry under a canopy in a well-ventilated area. Shelf life of raw materials is 1 year. The leaves and flowers contain essential oil, which includes the glycoside prunasin, which provides their scent, as well as ammonia, isoamylamine, trimethylamine, and vitamin C. A decoction of flowers is used in folk medicine for pulmonary tuberculosis; wounds, ulcers, and eyes are washed with the infusion.

Infusion of flowers: 10 g of raw material is poured into 200 ml of boiling water, left for 10 minutes, then filtered.

The flowers have a strong smell, and large bouquets placed in rooms can give you a headache. The leaves also secrete a large amount of phytoncides. In this case, hydrocyanic acid acts as a phytoncide, gradually being cleaved from the glycoside contained in the leaves. Phytoncides kill not only various bacteria, but also some insects.

Leaves Bird cherry trees are also collected during the flowering period. Dried in the shade under a canopy, after drying, crushed and stored for no more than 2 years. A decoction of the leaves is used for diarrhea in children; locally - for furunculosis. Infusion (in the form of rinses) - for caries, stomatitis. Alcohol tincture is used for rheumatism and gout.

Decoction of leaves: 20 g of raw material is boiled in 200 ml of water for 5 minutes, then filtered. Take 1/4 cup 3-4 times a day.

Traditional medicine recipes:

1. Take the fruits of bird cherry, chokeberry (aronia), rose hips, hawthorn, tangerine peel in equal quantities, add sugar, cook compote and drink for hemorrhagic diathesis, dyspepsia in children, and diarrhea.

2. Prepare a collection of the following composition: bird cherry fruits - 4 parts, currant leaf - 3 parts, raspberry leaf - 3 parts, oregano herb - 2 parts, thyme herb - 2 parts, wormwood herb - 3 parts, plantain leaf - 2 parts, leaf coltsfoot - 2 parts, licorice root - 3 parts. Take 2 tbsp. spoons of crushed collection, pour 1 liter of boiling water, leave overnight in a thermos, take throughout the day. The collection has an immunomodulatory, antibacterial, emollient effect.

3. Take 3 parts of bird cherry fruits, 2 parts of blueberries. 2 tbsp. Brew spoons of the mixture with 2 cups of boiling water, boil for 20 minutes. Cool, strain. Take 3 times a day, ¼–½ glass before meals.