502 NEW ENGLAND TREES IN WINTER. 



SWEET CHERRY 



Mazzard Cherry, European Bird Cherry. 

 Prunus avium L. 



HABIT A good sized tree reaching 50-75 ft. in height with a trunk 

 diameter of 2-3 ft.; trunk erect continuous into the crown with slender 

 ascending branches forming a narrow pyramidal head; with age becom- 

 ing broad-spreading. 



BARK Characteristically reddish-brown with horizontally elongated 

 buff colored lenticels, tardily peeling off in transverse strips which 

 curl back and expose the lighter bark below which on very old trunks 

 may be roughened by scaly ridges; on young branches bark easily 

 peeled off in a thin dark papery layer exposing the bright green bark 

 below. 



TWIGS Stout, bright reddish-brown, smooth and shining, more or 

 less covered with a grayish skin easily rubbed off; crushed twigs with 

 bitter taste. In addition to long rapidly grown shoots, stubby slowly 

 grown fruit spurs with terminally clustered buds are abundant. LEN- 

 TICELS rather numerous, pale, becoming horizontally elongated. 

 PITH brown. 



LEAP-SCARS Alternate, more than 2-ranked, rather broad, semi- 

 oval to inversely triangular, raised. STIPULE-SCARS slightly behind 

 leaf-scars, oblique, often indistinct or absent. BUNDLE-SCARS 3. 



BUDS Clustered at ends of fruiting spurs or scattered on rapidly 

 grown shoots; terminal bud scarcely larger than lateral buds; 

 lateral buds divergent, stout, ovate, pointed, constricted at base, about 

 7 mm. long, reddish-brown, smooth, often partially covered with a 

 grayish skin. BUD-SCALES broadly ovate, with edges often lighter 

 colored and more or less frayed and ragged. 



FRUIT A drupe with edible flesh, generally sweet though in some 

 varieties tart, with hard stone or pit enclosing the seed, ripening in 

 summer, with stalks generally several in a cluster arising from a 

 common point on the stem. 



COMPARISONS The two types of cultivated cherries, the Sweet and 

 the Sour are to be distinguished chiefly by habit of growth and relative 

 size of twigs and buds, the Sweet Cherry having a pyramidal outline 

 generally with a central leader and with relatively stout twigs and 

 larger buds. These differences are well shown in the plates. (See 

 Comparisons under Sour Cherry). 



DISTRIBUTION A native of Europe, in this country cultivated for 

 Its fruit in several improved varieties such as the Black Tartarian, 

 May Duke, Windsor, Napoleon, etc. and in some places escaped from 

 cultivation. 



"WOOD Strong, rather soft, close-grained, yellowish-red, taking a 

 fine polish; largely used in Europe for fine furniture, inside finishing 

 and for musical and other instruments. 



