Cherry Tree (Prunus Avium)

Cherry Tree

Hindi Name – Cherry

Sanskrit Name –  Prabadharam 

Botanical Name – Prunus Avium

Cherry tree comes under the shrub category & is known as stone fruit. It tastes sweet-sour, & used for dressing in dessert, cakes & salads. The cherry tree is from the family of Rosaceae. Cherry cultivation is done in the higher regions.

Cherry tree height goes to fifteen feet, & diameter up to ten inches. It spreads in an area of fifteen to twenty feet. Cherry trees live up to thirty years.

Well-drained fertile soil is better for Cherry tree cultivation. Cherry can be sown by seeds & it germinates within two weeks. Cherry tree grows in three to five years. Cherry tree gets mature in ten years & start fruiting.

Winter season is considered good for planting cherry trees. It is good to grow the cherries above the 2000 meters height from sea level as it needs a colder environment to grow well. Rainfed areas are the best suited for the purpose.

Cherry tree leaves are oval in shape, & four-inch long in size with a tail. The tree started to grow leaves by the end of April month & the leaves are light green in colour. Cherry tree leaves have serrated margins. Cultivators keep the height of the cherry tree low by pruning.

Cherry tree fruit harvest can be taken from the month of May to  July. The colour of the cherries indicates that the fruit is in ripen condition, & harvest can be taken. Initially, cherries are green in colour, & change their colour to dark red when ripe & its called red-cherry too.

Cherry is a small one-inch fruit with a big seed so named a drupe. Cherry is sweet in taste & a small quantity of juicy pulp. Cherry is high in demand as it is not available throughout the year. 

Cherry has many medicinal & health benefits as well:

Cherry fruit is rich in antioxidants, a rich source of vitamin-C, good for joint’s pain, slow down ageing, good for cardiac health. Fibre, vitamins, minerals, potassium, calcium & folic acid are also found in cherries.