Prunus avium

Prunus avium, (wild cherry, sweet cherry or gean) is a cherry species found in Europe, northwest Africa, and west Asia. The cherry originated from northern Iran. All parts of the plant, except the fruit when ripe contain a slight amount of the toxin, cyanogenic glycosides.

Description
The cherry is a deciduous tree growing from 15 to 32 meters tall, and the trunk is 1.5 meters in diameter. The bark is smooth and purplish-brown, with grey-brown lenticels on young trees. The leaves are alternate, 7 to 14 centimeters long, and 4 to 7 centimeters broad. It has a green or reddish petiole with 2 to 5 small nectary glands. The leaves turn orange, pink or red before falling during autumn. The flowers are produced early spring at the same time as the leaves, 2-6 flowers together. They are hermaphrodites, and are pollinated by bees. The fruit is a drupe red to dark purple when mature, and contains a hard stone inside. The seed inside the stone is 6 to 8 millimeters long.

Fruit
The fruit of the plant is eaten by several types of birds and mammals, which release the seeds through their feces. The cherry itself has been human food for several thousand years. Due to this, many cultivars of Prunus avium and Prunus cerasus, the Sour Cherry, have been grown in Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and parts of the United States.

Ornamental
P. avium is often cultivated as a flowering tree, used for parkland, and rarely ever gardens or streets.

Two hybrids of P. avium, Prunus × schmittii and Prunus × fontenesiana are also used as ornamental plants.

Leaves
The leaves of the plant are toxic to several species of animal, but some feed on them, such as the case-bearer moth, Coleophora anatipennella.

Gum
The tree releases a gum that seals wounds to stop insect and fungal infection. This gum is aromatic, and is sometimes subsituted for chewing gum.

Timber
The wood of P. avium is reddish-brown and hard, used to make cabinets and musical instruments.

Other uses
Medicine can be prepared from the stalks of the drupes. It is also used as a flavoring for several dishes, medicines, and occasionally toothpaste.

A green dye is also prepared from the plant.