Cherry plum
| Cherry plum | ||||||||||||
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Cherry plum |
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| Prunus cerasifera | ||||||||||||
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The cherry plum ( Prunus cerasifera ), also called myrobalane , is a species of the genus Prunus in the rose family (Rosaceae). This low tree or shrub bears edible fruit. The cherry plum is also known regionally under the name Turkenkirsche or Turkish cherry , in the Palatinate dialect as Därgelkersch , in the Saxon-rural dialect as Sterninkel and in the Austrian dialect as Kringelbaum . Similar, but not to be confused with the oat plum or in Bavarian Kriacherl. The green harvested, unripe fruits are marketed as Can Erik in Turkish markets . The tree was already known to the Celts.
The plum , to which fruits such as plums , noble plums and mirabelle plums are assigned, is a hybrid of cherry plum and sloe . The Zibarte is sometimes confused with the cherry plum, but it is an early subspecies of the plum.
Occurrence
The original home of the cherry plum is in the Balkans and Asia Minor to Central Asia . It's been in culture for a long time. The cherry plum grows widespread overgrown in fruit-growing areas at roadsides, forest edges and streams as well as in abandoned orchards. Red-leaved cultivated forms in particular serve as ornamental plants in gardens and parks.
description
The cherry plum grows as a low, wide tree or shrub and can reach heights of five to eight meters. Usually a multi-stemmed crown is formed. The very varied growth resembles that of the oat plum . Most of the time, the slightly balding long shoots hang heavily. The growth form of cherry plums can be influenced relatively easily by targeted pruning; When buying, make sure that you choose a plant that already has a tree-like or shrub-like shape. The bark of the branches is green.
The elliptical to obovate leaves are finely notched, glabrous, about 3 to 7 cm long and 2 to 3.5 cm wide. They are glossy dark green on the top, matt and lighter on the underside. The reddish green leaf stalk is about 1 cm long.
The mostly solitary flowers appearing just before the leaves have a diameter of 2 to 2.5 cm, are white, pale pink on the inside and strongly scented. The cherry plum blooms very early, usually at the same time as almond trees and a week to two weeks before the sloe . Wherever it occurs in large numbers, it is the first to decorate the landscape with white flowers. It is therefore also an important food source for early-flying insects.
fruit
The spherical stone fruits have a diameter of about two to three centimeters, so comparable to mirabelle plums or oat plums . The fruits ripen early, sometimes as early as June and July with individual varieties that ripen later . The edible fruits are either yellow to cherry red or blue-violet. The flesh is under the skin and near the core, which is difficult to remove, sometimes sour, otherwise mostly watery and bland, occasionally even sweet and aromatic, especially in the ripe, softer fruits.
Chromosome number
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 16.
use
In Turkish fruit and vegetable markets, the unripe fruits are sold as Can-Erik for fresh consumption. As the cherry plum skin is acidic, it can be used to make sweet and sour jam. Since the cherry plum is an archetype, high expectations of the taste should be warned. The fruits are mostly sour at first and quickly floury when ripe. This is also proven by the fact that, unlike plums, the fruits are rarely visited by insects.
Cultivars
Especially since different clans were crossed with one another to obtain finishing documents , a large variety of varieties has now emerged. Red-leaved varieties are commonly referred to as blood plums ; they are considered to be ornamental and not fruit plants, although the fruits are generally edible and can be used to make jams. Here is a selection:
- 'Atropurpurea': This variety was first introduced to France from Persia around 1880 . The leaves are larger than the type; they are red-brown in color; however, the tint fades a little over the course of the year. The two centimeter wide flowers are white with at most a very slight shade of pink; they appear before the leaves in April. The purple fruits are three centimeters tall and spherical.
- 'Nigra': This shape, introduced from the USA around 1916, has deep black-red leaves that keep their rich hue in autumn. The flowers are pink.
There is also a slow growing dwarf blood plum ( Prunus × cistena ); it is a hybrid of Prunus pumila and Prunus cerasifera 'Atropurpurea'.
Cherry plum as the seasons change
January
March
April
May
June
September
October
November
See also
literature
- Walter Hartmann : Color Atlas of Old Fruit Types . Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2000, ISBN 3-8001-3173-0 , p. 271 ff.
- Walter Hartmann: Myrobalans . In: Obst und Garten , Vol. 129 (2010), Issue 8, ISSN 0029-7798 , pp. 284 f.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jeanne Dericks-Tan, Gabriele Vollbrecht: In the footsteps of the wild fruits in Europe , Abadi Verlag, Alzenau 2009, ISBN 978-3-00-021129-4 , pp. 220–222
- ^ Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . 8th edition. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 . Page 573.
Web links
- Cherry plum. In: FloraWeb.de.
- Distribution map for Germany. In: Floraweb .
- Prunus cerasifera Ehrh. In: Info Flora , the national data and information center for Swiss flora . Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- Thomas Meyer: Data sheet with identification key and photos at Flora-de: Flora von Deutschland (old name of the website: Flowers in Swabia )
- Tree determination at www.baumkunde.de
- Photos of fruits and leaves of the cherry plum ( Prunus cerasifera ).
- From the diploma thesis by Andreas Zeitlhöfler 2002: The fruit-growing use of wild fruit trees ( Memento from May 5, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
- Erik fruit - instructions for consumption and recipe ideas