Cherry (Prunus avium, P. besseyi and pumila, P. cerasus, P. lyonii, P. pennsylvanica, P. serotina, P. virginiana)
Folk Names:
Prunus avium: Mazzard Cherry, Sweet Cherry;
P. besseyi and pumila: Sand Cherry;
P. cerasus: Dwarf Wild Cherry, Sour Cherry;
P. lyonii: Island Cherry;
P. pennsylvanica: Wild Red Cherry;
P. serotina: Wild Black Cherry, Rum Cherry;
P. virginiana: Choke Cherry
Description: Like most fruit trees, the cherry is a member of the rose family. Prunus avium is native to western Asia. It was introduced to Europe in ancient times, and now grows wild in Central Europe. The tree will reach up to sixty-five feet unless it is pruned for easy harvesting. The red-brown bark peels in horizontal strips with age. Alternate leaves, lanceolate and acuminate, are double toothed at margin. They are glabrous and a little rough at the top, and rather hairy below on a long stalk with a stipule. The white, scented flowers grow in an umbel with a long stalk. The fruit is a round drupe, slightly heart shaped, one-half inches across, and dark red with sweet flesh that adheres to a stone. Some fruit is red or yellow. The tree prefers temperate climates and bright positions.
Prunus besseyi is a bushy form of this tree. It extends from the East coast in America to the Midwest. Prunus pumila is also a dwarf or prostrate tree, preferring moist locations in the Northeast.
Prunus cerasus accepts all kinds of soil and is more resistant to frost than Prunus Avium. It will grow at altitudes of up to 6000 feet, and can reach a height of 20 ft with many branches. The leaves ovate-elliptical with double toothed margin, smooth and glabrous on both sides. It is smaller and shorter stalked than Prunus avium, with white hermaphrodite flowers in umbels from May to April. The fruit is a round, dark-red drupe, very juicy and sour. The skin comes away from flesh easily.
Prunus lyonii is grown in the California islands, while Prunus pennsylvanica extends northward to Colorado. Prunus serotina is a perennial extending from Nova Scotia to Florida and west to the Dakotas. It reaches ninety feet in height with a four-foot diameter. The bark of younger branches is reddish brown with horizontal markings (lenticels), which are typical of the genus. The inner bark has an almond smell. Young twigs are aromatic and bitter, and the leaves are bright green and shiny above, while the underside is a lighter green. The oblong lanceolate leaves taper to point with small in-curving teeth along the margins. Six inch racemes of flowers grow from May to June with August and September bringing black, bitter fruits.
Prunus virginiana can be found from Newfoundland to Saskatchewan and south to North Carolina and Tennessee. This tall shrub or small tree grows to an average twenty feet. The bark is smooth and reddish-brown. Alternate, oval lustrous dark green leaves are serrate with a pointed tip. From Apr to July, four to six inch clusters of tiny, five-petal white flowers appear. The fruits are purplish-red.
Effects: gentle
Planet: Venus
Element: water
Associated Deities:
Traditions:
The juice is appropriate for a blood substitute.
Magic:
All spells to stimulate or attract love may benefit from the addition of cherries. One of the simplest spells to attract love instructs the caster to tie a single strand of their hair to a cherry tree while in blossom. To bring love, collect as many cherry pits as you are years old and drill a hole in one stone each night beginning on the New Moon. Do not drill any during the waning). There should be a maximum of fourteen stones drilled in a month. Thread on red or pink thread and tie around your left knee each night for fourteen nights. Remove it each morning.
Collect cherry bark to revitalize a stalled project.
Known Combinations:
none noted
Medical Indications: (Caution: Both Prunus serotina and Prunus virginiana contain hydrocyanic acid in the bark, seeds, and leaves. Symptoms of poisoning include difficulty in breathing, loss of balance, and convulsions.) Parts Used: young, thin bark
Bark tea or syrup was once used as a sedative. The powdered bark was sprinkled on sores to aid in healing.
Nutrition:
All true cherries are edible, but not all are appetizing. Prunus avium is grown more than any other variety. Cherries are used fresh or in jellies, jams, wines, pies, and other pastries. The fruit of Prunus cerasus is edible but used more for jams and syrups and maraschino liqueur. Prunus virginiana was used by Native Americans in berry mixtures for pemmican, stews, jams, and jellies.
Mercantile Uses:
The pinkish white wood of Prunus cerasus and the brown half-hardened heartwood is used for whittled objects and walking sticks. Prunus serotina wood is prized in cabinet making. It is considered second only to walnut.