Cherry plum

Cherry plum

The cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera ), also called myrobalan, is a flowering plant in the rose family ( Rosaceae ). This low tree or shrub bears edible fruit. Cherry plum is known regionally under the name "Turkish cherry " or " Turkish cherry ", in the Palatinate dialect as " Därgelkersch " in the Saxon- rural dialect as " Sterninkel ", as well as in the Austrian dialect as " squiggle tree " known and Munich area they are called " Kriachlbaum ". The tree was already known among the Celts. The plum, which are associated with fruit such as plums, precious plums and mirabelle, is a hybrid of cherry plum and sloe. The Zibarte is sometimes confused with the cherry plum, but it is an early resulting subspecies of the plum.

Occurrence

The original home of the cherry plum is in the Balkans and small to Central Asia. You for a long time in culture. The cherry plum grows in fruit growing areas spread gone wild along roadsides, edges of woods and streams, as well as discontinued orchards. Particularly red-leaved cultivated forms are very often planted in gardens and parks.

Description

The cherry plum grows as a low, wide tree or shrub and can reach stature heights of 5 to 8 meters. Usually a multi-stemmed crown is formed. The right multiform growth similar to that of oats plum. Most easily verkahlenden long shoots hanging over strong. The growth habit of cherry plums is relatively easy to influence through targeted neck; when purchasing, make sure that a plant is selected, which already has a tree-like or shrub -like shape. The bark of the branches is green.

The elliptic to obovate leaves are finely crenate, glabrous, about 3-7 cm long and 2 to 3.5 cm wide. They are shiny dark green on top, on the bottom mat and brighter. The reddish green petiole is about 1 cm long.

The usually solitary, appearing just before leaves flowers have a diameter of 2 to 2.5 cm, are white, slightly pink inside and very fragrant. The cherry plum blooms very early, usually at the same time with almond trees and a week or two weeks before the blackthorn. Where it occurs in greater numbers, they adorn the first the landscape with white flowers. It is therefore also an important food source for early flying insects.

Fruits

The round stone fruit have a diameter of about 2 to 3 cm, so as to mirabelle comparable. The fruits ripen early, some as early as June and July with individual nachreifenden varieties. The edible fruits are either yellow to cherry red or blue violet. The flesh is under the skin and near the core, which can be difficult to solve, sometimes sour, otherwise mostly watery and bland. Sometimes it is even sweet and fragrant, especially in the mature, softer fruits.

Cultivars

Especially since for the production of rootstocks various clans were crossed with each other, there was now a large variety of types. Red-leaved varieties are commonly referred to as blood plum; they are considered decorative and not as fruit plants, although the fruits are edible and usable principle to jams. Here is a selection:

• ' Atropurpurea ': This variety was first introduced about 1880 from Persia to France. The leaves are larger than in the type; they are reddish brown; However, the tint fades over the course of something. The 2 cm wide flowers are white with a very light shade of pink at best; they appear before the leaves in April. The purple fruits are 3 cm in size and spherical.
• 'Nigra ': These imported from the United States around 1916 form has deep black red leaves, which also retain their rich color in autumn. The flowers are pink.

There is also a dwarf schwachwüchsige blood plum (Prunus × cistena );, these are a hybrid of Prunus pumila and Prunus cerasifera ' Atropurpurea '.