In short
- Native tree or large shrub, growing up to 10-15 m tall.
- Flowers in April and May in drooping, strongly scented white clusters 10-15 cm long.
- The fruits are small, black, astringent drupes ripening in summer - eaten by birds, of little appeal to people when raw.
- Very frost-hardy (USDA zones 3a-6b); requires fertile, moist soil and tolerates drought poorly.
- Regularly attacked by the bird-cherry ermine moth, which webs the tree in white silk and strips its leaves in early summer.
Botanical data
- Family
- Rosaceae (Rosaceae)
- Height
- 8–15 m
- Width
- 4–8 m
- Habit
- Spreading
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Position
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil
- Humus-rich, Loamy
- pH reaction
- pH 6–7.5
- Moisture
- Moist, Moderate
- Bloom
- April–May
- Hardiness
- USDA 3a–6b
- Propagation
- From seed, From cuttings
Characteristics
European bird cherry forms a small tree with a dense, spreading crown or a multi-stemmed, large shrub; under good conditions it reaches 10-15 m in height. The bark is matte grey and smooth, with horizontal lenticels, and when scratched it releases a characteristic, bitter-almond, unpleasant smell - hence the folk name 'smrodynia' (stinkberry). The leaves are elliptic, sharply pointed and finely serrate, matte green, turning yellow and reddish in autumn; at the base of the blade, on the petiole, there are two small glands. The flowers open in April and May, after the leaves have emerged, and are gathered in loose, drooping clusters 10-15 cm long. A single flower is white, five-parted, about 1-1.5 cm in diameter, and gives off an intense, sweet-almond scent that attracts insects. The fruit is a small, globular drupe 6-8 mm in diameter, at first green, then red, and glossy black when fully ripe; the flesh is astringent and slightly bitter, and the single stone - like the leaves and bark - contains cyanogenic glycosides. The species grows quickly, begins to fruit early, and self-seeds readily from seed dispersed by birds.
Popular cultivars
- ‘Colorata’
- A cultivar with pink-flushed flowers and purple young leaves and shoots that turn coppery green in summer. Prized for its colour and abundant flowering; awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit.
- ‘Watereri’
- A vigorous cultivar with exceptionally long flower clusters, reaching up to 20 cm, and very abundant flowering. One of the most spectacular forms in flower; also holding the RHS Award of Garden Merit.
Growing and care
Watering
Likes constantly moist and fertile soils; tolerates periodic flooding in river valleys, but grows poorly in dry and parched sites.
Fertilizing
Sparingly - on fertile, moist soil the species grows quickly without additional fertilizing.
Planting
Fertile, humus-rich and moist soil, with a reaction close to neutral. Avoid dry sites; it tolerates periodic moisture well.
Pruning
Pruning is usually unnecessary - remove only dead, diseased and crossing shoots; the crown forms naturally.
Companion plants
Good companions
Rodzimy krzew wilgotnych obrzeży lasów i zadrzewień śródpolnych — naturalne towarzystwo czeremchy w nasadzeniach przyrodniczych, o podobnych wymaganiach wodnych.
Oba rodzime drzewa o białych kwiatach i owocach wabiących ptaki; dobrze komponują się w naturalistycznych zadrzewieniach i pasach zieleni.
Bad companions
Czeremcha jest żywicielem zimowym mszycy czeremchowo-zbożowej (Rhopalosiphum padi), która wiosną przelatuje na zboża i przenosi wirusa żółtej karłowatości jęczmienia — dlatego nie obsadza się nią skraju pól uprawnych.
The evidence level indicates whether the relationship is backed by research, observation, or gardening tradition.
Diseases and pests
Small (1–3 mm) soft-bodied insects, green, black or pink, feeding in clusters on young shoots and the underside of leaves. They excrete sticky honeydew. The diagnostic feature that distinguishes aphids from other small sucking insects is the pair of siphunculi (tubular projections) at the rear of the abdomen together with a tail-like cauda; a single colony usually holds wingless forms (parthenogenetic females) alongside winged migrants that fly onto new plants in summer. In summer aphids reproduce parthenogenetically and viviparously over many generations, so the population builds up explosively; in autumn many species produce a sexual generation that lays overwintering eggs on the host, and host-alternating species move between a winter host (often a tree or shrub) and a summer host (a herbaceous plant). Feeding symptoms include curling, crinkling and distortion of young leaves, stunted growth, yellowing, and the shedding of buds and fruitlets. Abundant honeydew coats the leaves, and the sooty mould fungus that develops on it forms a black film which limits photosynthesis; the honeydew is fed on by ants, which in return defend the colony against predators. Aphids are also important vectors of plant viruses (mosaics among them), transmitting them from plant to plant even during a brief probing puncture.
Winter mothA moth with marked sexual dimorphism: the male has grey-brown, finely banded wings with a span of about 25 mm, whereas the female is practically wingless and flightless and therefore climbs up the trunk in autumn to lay its eggs in the crown. In spring green looper caterpillars with pale lengthwise stripes hatch, moving with the characteristic "looping" gait (arching the rear of the body) and eating the developing buds, young leaves and fruitlets, often webbing them together with threads. It feeds on apple, pear, plum, cherry and many deciduous trees and shrubs. The mature caterpillar reaches about 25 mm in length and is yellow-green with a darker dorsal line and pale stripes along its sides; as a typical looper (Geometridae) it has only two pairs of prolegs at the end of the abdomen, hence its looping gait. The eggs are laid singly near the buds and in bark crevices, where they overwinter, and just before the spring hatch they change colour from greenish to orange-red. The species has one generation a year: the moths fly in late autumn (October-December, which is the origin of the Polish name "przedzimek", meaning before-winter), on cool, frost-free evenings, and the flightless females then climb the trunks. The spring hatch of the caterpillars is closely synchronised with bud burst (usually April); after about 4-6 weeks of feeding the caterpillars lower themselves to the ground on threads and pupate shallowly in the soil, where the pupa spends the summer. The signs of feeding are holed and ragged young leaves, eaten flower and leaf buds, and deformed fruit covered with corky scars that develop from the damaged fruitlets; under heavy pressure the caterpillars can almost strip the crown bare.
Toxicity
| For whom | Level | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Humans | Mild | The leaves, bark and stones contain cyanogenic glycosides. The flesh of ripe fruits is edible, though astringent; the stones should not be crushed or eaten. |
| Horses | Moderate | Wilting leaves and shoots release hydrogen cyanide and are dangerous for horses and cattle; especially after a branch is broken or pruned. |
| Dogs | Mild | — |
History and origin
European bird cherry is native to most of Europe and a large part of Asia, as far as Siberia; in Poland it occurs commonly in the lowlands and at lower mountain elevations, mainly in moist riparian woodland, alder carrs and along the banks of rivers and streams. Bird cherry wood is hard and attractively grained, formerly used in turnery and for small objects, but it is of little economic importance because of the tree's modest size. In folk medicine the bark and fruits were once used as a supplementary remedy, but today the plant is not recommended for self-administered internal use because of its content of cyanogenic compounds. European bird cherry should be clearly distinguished from black cherry (Prunus serotina) - an alien species deliberately introduced to Europe, which has run wild and is today regarded as an invasive plant in Poland, smothering the ground flora and understorey of pine forests. Black cherry has leathery, glossy leaves, and its clusters are erect, not drooping.
Uses
In gardens, European bird cherry is planted above all in naturalistic schemes, at the edges of woodland stands, beside water bodies and in moist places where other ornamental trees fail. Its greatest merit is the abundantly flowering, fragrant clusters in spring and its ecological value: the flowers provide an early nectar source for bees and other insects, and birds eagerly eat the black fruits. Because of its fast growth, spreading habit and strong tendency to self-seed, this is not a species for a small, formal garden - it does better in large country gardens, parks and green belts. The site should be sunny or lightly shaded, the soil fertile, humus-rich and sufficiently moist; bird cherry tolerates periodic flooding in river valleys but grows poorly in drought. Trees are planted in autumn or early spring, several metres apart from their neighbours. Pruning is usually not needed; if it is done, it is carried out in summer, after flowering - as with all cherries and plums of the genus Prunus, to limit the risk of silver leaf and bacterial canker entering through fresh wounds in the cold part of the year. When planting bird cherry, one must reckon with the annual presence of the bird-cherry ermine moth, which periodically disfigures the tree without killing it.
Trivia
- The bird-cherry ermine moth (Yponomeuta evonymella) is an almost inseparable companion of bird cherry: its caterpillars wrap the whole tree in white, silky webbing and strip it of leaves at the turn of spring and summer - despite the dramatic appearance, the plant usually rebuilds its foliage by midsummer and survives.
- The flowers and scratched bark smell of almonds thanks to compounds that release, among others, benzaldehyde; the same group of compounds (cyanogenic glycosides) is responsible for the bitter taste of the stones.
- The bird cherry-oat aphid (Rhopalosiphum padi) overwinters precisely on bird cherry, and in spring flies over to cereals, transmitting the dangerous viral barley yellow dwarf - which is why fields and orchards are not planted with bird cherry on the side facing cereal crops.
- The folk names - kocierpka and smrodynia - refer directly to the astringent fruits and to the unpleasant smell of freshly scratched bark.
Frequently asked questions
Are the fruits of European bird cherry edible?
The flesh of the ripe, black fruits is edible, but astringent and slightly bitter, so few people appreciate it raw; it is mainly suitable for preserves - liqueurs, syrups and jams. The stones should not be crushed or eaten, because they contain cyanogenic glycosides. Birds eat the fruits eagerly and are their main consumer.
Why is bird cherry covered in webbing and stripped of leaves in spring?
This is the result of feeding by the caterpillars of the bird-cherry ermine moth, not spiders. The insects wrap the shoots in dense, white webbing and eat the leaves, able to strip a whole tree bare. On large, healthy specimens it is usually unnecessary to intervene - bird cherry rebuilds its foliage in the second half of summer and survives the attack without lasting damage.
Is European bird cherry suitable for a small garden?
Rather not. It grows quickly, forms a spreading crown, self-seeds abundantly and is colonised each year by the ermine moth, which periodically disfigures it. For small, formal gardens it is better to choose an ornamental tree of more restrained growth; bird cherry does best in large country gardens, parks and naturalistic plantings by water.
How can European bird cherry be told apart from the invasive black cherry?
The most reliable feature is the arrangement of the flower and fruit clusters: in European bird cherry the clusters are long and drooping, in black cherry (Prunus serotina) - shorter and erect. The leaves also differ: in bird cherry they are matte and thinner, in black cherry dark green, leathery and glossy. Black cherry is an invasive species in Poland and should not be spread.
Is bird cherry toxic to people and animals?
The leaves, bark and stones contain cyanogenic glycosides, from which hydrogen cyanide can be released. The flesh of the ripe fruits is edible, but wilting leaves and shoots can be dangerous for horses and cattle, especially after branches are broken or pruned. People are not at risk of poisoning from touching the plant - the risk concerns eating the stones, leaves or bark.
Sources
- Plants of the World Online (POWO) — Prunus padusDatabase (GBIF, POWO…)
- RHS — Prunus padus (bird cherry)Institution / botanical garden
- W. Seneta, J. Dolatowski — Dendrologia, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWNBook
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