Identification: Prunus Avium - Small singles, green leaves, large round tree, mid to late season

Discussion in 'Ornamental Cherries' started by wcutler, Apr 5, 2007.

  1. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    This has been identified below as Prunus avium (mazzard or sweet cherry).

    One of these cherries came into bloom last week (end of March) in the west end in Vancouver, BC, two came out a few days later, and one is on the way. Two are older relatively large trees. They're round in shape, green leaves, with pom poms composed of quite small single blossoms. Because the first one I saw is on a property the same distance but the opposite side of the entrance path as (what was) a Tibetan Paperbark, I wondered if it might also be the same, so I've included a photo of the bark. In the first photo, it's the tree on the right. I'd like to know what tree this is. Thanks.
     

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    Last edited: Apr 9, 2007
  2. Douglas Justice

    Douglas Justice Well-Known Member UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout Maple Society 10 Years

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    Re: What cherry? Small singles, green leaves, large round tree, late season

    Check the back of the flower. If the sepals are broad and rounded, it's probably Prunus avium (mazzard or sweet cherry), and judging from the bark shot, I'd say that you have the vigorous understock (P. avium) overtaking whatever cultivar was grafted onto it.
     
  3. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Re: What cherry? Small singles, green leaves, large round tree, late season

    I had to laugh, Doug, as it's a very tall tree, so I took my binoculars to see if I could get a peek at the back of the flower, but it turns out there were a few branches hanging down after all. I'm attaching one photo of the back of some flowers from that tree, and two photos from another much younger tree across the street from me that I just noticed today. Are they the same? And are they likely Mazzards? I'm not sure what's important about what I'm looking at. The smaller tree is on the property side of the sidewalk, very near a huge tree that has not yet opened at all. These trees are very strange if they're really all the same - they seem to open weeks apart from each other and they open 2% of their buds one day, and the other 98% the next day.

    Thanks for all the help.
     

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  4. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Re: What cherry? Small singles, green leaves, large round tree, late season

    I second the nomination. Sweet cherry is very common here, both planted intentionally and growing spontaneously. Different individuals have different characteristics. Some are orchard trees, some are rootstock sprouts and some are wild (but never native). It even crosses with native bitter cherry to produce Puget cherry.
     
  5. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Re: What cherry? Small singles, green leaves, large round tree, late season

    Another vote for Wild Cherry (Prunus avium)
     
  6. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    We also talked about vigorous understock, mentioned above, on the Umineko thread, but this seems like a reasonable place to post this photo that I took today on a cherry viewing walk on the east side of Vancouver, 21st east of Knight. The Avium is doing well, but it's getting a pretty good contest.
     

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    Last edited: Apr 23, 2007
  7. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Looks like 'Kanzan' there with it.

    Worth noting the locations of all the Prunus avium now, for a second visit in late July or early August . . . be prepared for a feast . . :-)
     

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  8. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Probably little need to note locations of this very common tree, naturalized here (and crossing with bitter cherry to produce Puget cherry), planted as an orchard fruit, and planted as a rootstock. At this time of the year its white clouds of bloom are just about everywhere, including wooded hillsides. Likeley more than one has been mistakenly measured and recorded as a giant bitter cherry specimen on big tree registers or other publications.
     
  9. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Prunus Avium cultivar- Single white, spreading, shapely calyxes

    This is surely a P. avium cultivar, as it's not tall or likely to be large like most of the avium trees coming into bloom around town now. This is shaped more like 'Shirotae' - much wider than tall. The blossoms are about an inch in diameter, with bulbous-shaped calyx tubes.

    Is it anything special, or shall I just merge this into the Avium thread?
     

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  10. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Re: Prunus Avium cultivar- Single white, spreading, shapely calyxes

    There are many pruning cuts visible, so there has been some manipulation of the shape. Apart from that, with all the many different sweet cherry trees around one can see there is quite a bit of variation among them. A tree being "different" does not automatically make it a named selection.

    Many cultivars of garden plants arise as "different" seedlings in nursery seed beds and other locations - rather than as isolated branch sports and so forth. So that tells us that a plant that has yielded numerous cultivars may have a natural tendency toward variation, with it following that unselected, unnamed variants may be encountered rather often.

    The cradle formed by the branches of the tree shown here suggests to me that probably there was once a Japanese flowering cherry or other scion perched on the top of the trunk, around which sweet cherry rootstock branches were allowed to grow. Eventually the scion was cut out.
     
  11. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    This is the Prunus avium 'Stella' that I've always liked, that's growing in the UBC Botanical Garden. I was looking for a picture when we were trying to identify what turned out to be 'Colt', as that tree also has an upright spreading shape, which reminded me of this tree.
     

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  12. bgboydballard

    bgboydballard Member

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    Prunus avium

    From Bill Boyd, I live near ... Loyal Heights in Seattle. April 15, 2012. [Edited by wcutler 2012apr15]: These are Prunus avium, not the tree I was looking for, but very good photos, so I've moved them here.
     

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    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 15, 2012

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