Acherry is thefruit of many plants of the genusPrunus, and is a fleshydrupe (stone fruit).
Commercial cherries are obtained fromcultivars of several species, such as the sweetPrunus avium and the sourPrunus cerasus. The name 'cherry' also refers to the cherry tree and its wood, and is sometimes applied toalmonds and visually similar flowering trees in the genusPrunus, as in "ornamental cherry" or "cherry blossom".Wild cherry may refer to any of the cherry species growing outside cultivation, althoughPrunus avium is often referred to specifically by the name "wild cherry" in the British Isles.
Prunus avium, sweet cherryP. cerasus, sour cherryGermersdorfer variety cherry tree in blossom
Prunus subg.Cerasus contains species that are typically called cherries. They are known as true cherries[1] and distinguished by having a single winterbud per axil, by having theflowers in smallcorymbs orumbels of several together (occasionally solitary, e.g.P. serrula; some species with shortracemes, e.g.P. maacki), and by having smooth fruit with no obvious groove.[2] Examples of true cherries are:
Bush cherries are characterized by having three winter buds per axil.[2] They used to be included inPrunus subg.Cerasus, but phylogenetic research indicates they should be a section ofPrunus subg.Prunus.[1] Examples of bush cherries are:
Prunus subg.Padus contains most racemose species that are called cherries which used to be included in the generaPadus (bird cherries),Laurocerasus (cherry laurels),Pygeum (tropical species such as African cherry) andMaddenia.[1] Examples of the racemose cherries are:
The Cherry Seller bySara Troost (Netherlands, 18th century)
The English word cherry derives fromOld Northern French orNormancherise from the Latincerasum,[3] referring to an ancient Greek region, Kerasous (Κερασοῦς) nearGiresun,Turkey, from which cherries were first thought to be exported to Europe.[4]
The word "cherry" is also used for some species that bear fruits with similar size and shape even though they are not in the samePrunus genus; some of these species include the "Jamaican cherry" (Muntingia calabura) and the "Spanish cherry" (Mimusops elengi).[5]
Antiquity
The indigenous range of thesweet cherry extends through most of Europe, western Asia, and parts of northern Africa, and the fruit has been consumed throughout its range since prehistoric times. A cultivated cherry is recorded as having been brought to Rome byLucius Licinius Lucullus from northeasternAnatolia, also known as thePontus region, in 72 BCE.[6]
Cherries, along with many other fruiting trees and plants, probably first arrived in North America around 1606 in theNew France colony ofPort Royal, which is modern-dayAnnapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. Richard Guthrie described in 1629, the "fruitful valley adorned with...great variety of fruit trees, chestnuts, pears, apples, cherries, plums and all other fruits."[10]
The cultivated forms are of the speciessweet cherry (P. avium) to which most cherrycultivars belong, and thesour cherry (P. cerasus), which is used mainly for cooking. Both species originate in Europe and western Asia; they usually do notcross-pollinate. Some other species, although having edible fruit, are not grown extensively for consumption, except in northern regions where the two main species will not grow. Irrigation, spraying, labor, and their propensity to damage from rain and hail make cherries relatively expensive. Nonetheless, demand is high for the fruit. In commercial production, sour cherries, as well as sweet cherries sometimes, are harvested by using a mechanized "shaker."[11] Hand picking is also widely used for sweet as well as sour cherries to harvest the fruit to avoid damage to both fruit and trees.
Common rootstocks include Mazzard, Mahaleb, Colt, and Gisela Series, a dwarfing rootstock that produces trees significantly smaller than others, only 8 to 10 feet (2.5 to 3 meters) tall.[12] Sour cherries require nopollenizer, while few sweet varieties are self-fertile.[12]
A cherry tree will take three to four years once it is planted in the orchard to produce its first crop of fruit, and seven years to attain full maturity.[13]
Growing season
Like most temperate-latitude trees, cherry trees require a certain number of chilling hours each year to break dormancy and bloom and produce fruit. The number of chilling hours required depends on the variety. Because of this cold-weather requirement, no members of the genusPrunus can grow in tropical climates. (See "production" section for more information onchilling requirements)
Cherries have a short growing season and can grow in mosttemperate latitudes.[13] Cherries blossom in April (in the Northern Hemisphere) and the peak season for the cherry harvest is in the summer. Insouthern Europe in June, inNorth America in June, inEngland in mid-July, and in southernBritish Columbia (Canada) in June to mid-August. In many parts of North America, they are among the first tree fruits to flower and ripen in mid-Spring.
In the Southern Hemisphere, cherries are usually at their peak in late December and are widely associated withChristmas. 'Burlat' is an early variety which ripens during the beginning of December, 'Lapins' ripens near the end of December, and 'Sweetheart' finish slightly later.[14]
Generally, the cherry can be a difficult fruit tree to grow and keep alive.[12] In Europe, the first visible pest in the growing season soon after blossom (in April in western Europe) usually is theblack cherry aphid ("cherry blackfly,"Myzus cerasi), which causes leaves at the tips of branches to curl, with the blackfly colonies exuding a sticky secretion which promotes fungal growth on the leaves and fruit. At the fruiting stage in June/July (Europe), thecherry fruit fly (Rhagoletis cingulata andRhagoletis cerasi) lays its eggs in the immature fruit, whereafter its larvae feed on the cherry flesh and exit through a small hole (about 1 mm diameter), which in turn is the entry point for fungal infection of the cherry fruit after rainfall.[15] In addition, cherry trees are susceptible to bacterialcanker,cytospora canker,brown rot of the fruit,root rot from overly wet soil, crown rot, and several viruses.[12]
In 2020, world production of sweet cherries was 2.61 milliontonnes, withTurkey producing 28% of this total. Other major producers of sweet cherries were the United States andChile. World production of sour cherries in 2020 was 1.48 million tonnes, led byRussia,Turkey, Ukraine andSerbia.
Major commercial cherry orchards in Europe are inTurkey,Italy,Spain and other Mediterranean regions, and to a smaller extent in theBaltic States and southernScandinavia.
In the United States, most sweet cherries are grown inWashington,California,Oregon,Wisconsin, andMichigan.[43] Important sweet cherry cultivars includeBing,Ulster,Rainier, Brooks, Tulare, King, and Sweetheart.[44] Both Oregon and Michigan provide light-colored 'Royal Ann' ('Napoleon'; alternately 'Queen Anne') cherries for themaraschino cherry process. Most sour (also called tart) cherries are grown in Michigan, followed byUtah,New York, and Washington.[43] Sour cherries include 'Nanking' and'Evans.'Traverse City, Michigan is called the "Cherry Capital of the World",[45] hosting aNational Cherry Festival and making the world's largestcherry pie. The specific region of northern Michigan known for tart cherry production is referred to as the "Traverse Bay" region.
Most cherry varieties have a chilling requirement of 800 or more hours, meaning that in order to break dormancy, blossom, and set fruit, the winter season needs to have at least 800 hours where the temperature is below 7 °C (45 °F). "Low chill" varieties requiring 300 hours or less are Minnie Royal and Royal Lee, requiringcross-pollinization, whereas the cultivar, Royal Crimson, is self-fertile.[46] These varieties extend the range of cultivation of cherries to the mild winter areas of southern US. This is a boon to California producers of sweet cherries, as California is the second largest producer of sweet cherries in the US.[47]
Native and non-native sweet cherries grow well in Canada'sprovinces ofOntario andBritish Columbia where an annual cherry festival has been celebrated for seven consecutive decades in theOkanagan Valley town ofOsoyoos.[48] In addition to the Okanagan, other British Columbia cherry growing regions are theSimilkameen Valley andKootenay Valley, all three regions together producing 5.5 million kg annually or 60% of total Canadian output.[49] Sweet cherry varieties in British Columbia include 'Rainier', 'Van', 'Chelan', 'Lapins', 'Sweetheart', 'Skeena', 'Staccato', 'Christalina' and 'Bing.'
Australia
In Australia, cherries are grown in all the states except for the Northern Territory. The major producing regions are located in the temperate areas within New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. Western Australia has limited production in the elevated parts in the southwest of the state. Key production areas includeYoung,Orange andBathurst inNew South Wales,Wandin, the Goulburn and Murray valley areas inVictoria, theAdelaide Hills region inSouth Australia, and the Huon and Derwent Valleys inTasmania.
Key commercial varieties in order of seasonality include 'Empress', 'Merchant', 'Supreme', 'Ron's seedling', 'Chelan', 'Ulster', 'Van', 'Bing', 'Stella', 'Nordwunder', 'Lapins', 'Simone', 'Regina', 'Kordia' and 'Sweetheart'. New varieties are being introduced, including the late season 'Staccato' and early season 'Sequoia'. The Australian Cherry Breeding program is developing a series of new varieties which are under testing evaluation.[50]
The New South Wales town ofYoung is called the "Cherry Capital of Australia" and hosts the National Cherry Festival.
Nutritional value
Raw sweet cherries are 82% water, 16%carbohydrates, 1%protein, and negligible infat (table). As raw fruit, sweet cherries provide little nutrient content per 100 g serving, as onlydietary fiber andvitamin C are present in moderate content, while othervitamins anddietary minerals each supply less than 10% of theDaily Value (DV) per serving, respectively (table).[51]
Compared to sweet cherries, rawsour cherries contain 50% more vitamin C per 100 g (12% DV) and about 20 times more vitamin A (8% DV),beta-Carotene in particular (table).[52]
The cherry kernels, accessible by chewing or breaking the hard-shelled cherrypits, containamygdalin, a chemical that releases the toxic compoundhydrogen cyanide when ingested. The amount of amygdalin in each cherry varies widely, and symptoms would show only after eating several crushed pits (3–4 of theMorello variety or 7–9 of the red or black varieties). Swallowing the pits whole normally causes no complications.[55]
Other uses
Cherrywood chest of drawers
Cherry wood is valued for its rich color and straight grain in manufacturing fine furniture, particularly desks, tables and chairs.[56][57]
^Oliver Lawson Dick, ed. (1949).Aubrey's Brief Lives. David R. Godine Publisher. p. xliii.ISBN9781567920635.The curiousantiquaryJohn Aubrey (1626–1697) noted in his memoranda:Cherries were first brought into Kent tempore H. viii, who being in Flanders, and likeing the Cherries, ordered his Gardener, brought them hence, and propagated them in England.
^"All the cherry gardens and orchards of Kent are said to have been stocked with the Flemish cherry from a plantation of 105 acres in Teynham, made with foreign cherries, pippins [pippin apples ], and golden rennets [goldreinette apples], done by thefruiterer of Henry VIII." ("A View of the Parish".Teynham Parish.Archived from the original on 2008-09-22.)
^abcdIngels, Chuck; et al. (2007).The Home Orchard: Growing Your Own Deciduous Fruit and Nut Trees. University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. pp. 27–8.
^ab"Cherry".Fruit and Nut Information Center. Department of Plant Sciences, University of California at Davis. 2016.Archived from the original on 8 July 2016. Retrieved28 June 2016.
^"Varieties".Cherish the moment. Cherry Growers of Australia. 2011.Archived from the original on 13 September 2017. Retrieved12 September 2017.
^Fabricio Cardenas (August 24, 2014)."Premières cerises de Céret et d'ailleurs" [First cherries from Céret and elsewhere].Vieux papiers des Pyrénées-Orientales (in French).Archived from the original on 2015-06-27.
^abCherry Production(PDF) (Report). National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA. June 23, 2011.ISSN1948-9072. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on April 6, 2012. Retrieved2011-10-06.
^"Cherry".fruitandnuteducation.ucdavis.edu. Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences. Retrieved2018-06-06.
^"Cherry Fiesta 2017". Osoyoos Festival Society. 2016.Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved6 June 2018.
^"Cherries". BC Ministry of Agriculture. 2013. Archived fromthe original on 1999-02-02. Retrieved28 June 2014.
^"Nutrition facts, cherries, sweet, raw, 100 g".US Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database, Standard Reference 21. Nutritiondata.com.Archived from the original on 11 February 2013. Retrieved19 February 2013.
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