0183 



CHERRY. 



Family: ROSACEAE. 



Reproductive system: ICOSANDRY, MONOGYNY. 



The cherry tree genus, combined with that of the plum trees by Linnaeus, consists 

 of about twenty species of trees or shrubs whose leaves are folded along the longitudinal 

 vein before they develop. The white flowers are arranged in terminal spikes or in lateral 

 clusters. The bell-shaped, five-lobed calyx is deciduous. The corolla has five petals. A 

 large number of stamens insert into the calyx. The simple, superior ovary has a single 

 style. It turns into a fruit with a smooth rounded pit, marked on its side with a slightly 

 projecting edge, and containing one or two seeds. 



The wild cherry tree, Cerasus avium, Primus avium, Linn., is a tree about thirty- 

 six feet tall. The trunk is covered with smooth, whitish bark. The leaves are large, green 

 above, whitish and slightly downy underneath, with toothed edges. In the wild species, 

 the fruit is ovoid, dark purple when ripe, with a bitter taste. Some growers think of it as 

 the standard for all of the cultivated varieties of cherries. 



FLOWERS: April and May. 



RANGE: The ancient forests of France and of other parts of Europe. 



NOMENCLATURE. German, wilde kirschbaum, zwifelbeere. English, black- 

 cherry, mazzard. Italian, visciolo. Spanish, cerezo de la sierra. Russian, wischna. 



USES. Wild cherries have several commercial uses. Kirsch is a liqueur obtained by 

 distillation after fermenting them into a wine. They're an ingredient in Grenoble ratafia 

 and in several other liqueurs. Wild cherry brandy is prescribed medically for nervous, 

 convulsive, and epileptic conditions, as well as for apoplexy, paralysis, and malignant 

 fevers accompanied by sudden spasms of the tendons. 



