Prunus avium aka Wild Cherry

Prunus avium, commonly known as wild cherry, sweet cherry, gean, or bird cherry, is a flowering plant in the rose family, Rosaceae. Native to Europe, Anatolia, Maghreb, and Western Asia, this medium-sized deciduous tree produces pure white flowers in spring, followed by small red-purple cherries in the summer. The bark starts off chestnut-colored and becomes silvery with age, while the leaves turn a vibrant orange-red in autumn. With a diploid set of sixteen chromosomes, Prunus avium is widely cultivated in various regions and has naturalized in North America and Australia. However, it should be noted that all parts of the plant, except for the ripe fruit, contain slightly toxic cyanogenic glycosides. This early ripening sweet cherry cultivar is known for its abundant white blossoms and produces sweet and juicy dark red fruit. The cropping season typically occurs from mid- to late May, and the plant falls under pollination group 2. Although it has its benefits, it can also be invasive in the United States.