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sweet cherry

Prunus avium

Family: Rosaceae · Genus: Prunus

wild cherry, gean, mazzard

Secondary II High No biomass production
MPF · CC BY · Wikimedia Commons

Sweet cherry, a deciduous tree of the Rosaceae family, exotic to Brazil and highly chill-demanding — most cultivars need more than 800 hours below 7 °C, restricting cultivation to the coldest regions of the south such as the highlands of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. It flowers in spring and fruits in late spring to early summer.

📚 Synonyms

Scientific synonyms: Cerasus avium (L.) Moench, Prunus cerasus var. avium L.

Götsch succession

Götsch stage
Secondary II
Ecological role
Late secondary
Primary stratum
High
Strata
Medium, High
Biomass class
No biomass production

Environment

Light requirement
Full sun
Water requirement
Moderate
Drought tolerance
Low
Waterlogging tolerance
Low
Soil pH range
6–7.5
Preferred soil texture
Loamy
Hardiness zones
3–8
Frost tolerance
-25.0 °C

Morphology

Mature height
8–18 m
Recommended spacing
5–8 m
Root system
Lateral
Root depth
Medium
Growth rate
Moderate
Lifespan
40–100 years
Time to first harvest
48 months
Productive lifespan
40 years

Biomes & climate

Köppen classes

Where it fits in a guild

Sweet cherry takes the High stratum in the Secondary II phase of succession — in a guild it shares the line with species from the other strata, each harvesting light at its own height, in its own time.

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Emergent High · ≈18 m Medium Low Ground cover

🪴 Cultivation

Propagated by grafting onto rootstocks such as Mazzard, Mahaleb or the Gisela series, which reduce tree size. Many cultivars are self-incompatible. Its high chill requirement strongly limits cultivation to highland microclimates in Brazil.

✂️ Management & Pruning

Train to an open-center (vase) or a central-axis system (Spanish bush/KGB) to limit height and ease harvest. Unlike other Prunus, prune preferably in late summer/early autumn rather than in the wet winter, to reduce bacterial canker and gummosis infection; make minimal cuts on a young tree to build the framework. It fruits on long-lived spurs.

📅 Phenology

Flowering months: August, September

Fruiting months: November, December

❓ Frequently asked questions

How long until the first harvest of sweet cherry?

The first harvest of sweet cherry comes around 48 months after planting.

What spacing is recommended for sweet cherry?

The recommended spacing for sweet cherry is 5–8 m.

How tall does sweet cherry grow?

At maturity, sweet cherry reaches 8–18 m tall.

When does sweet cherry fruit?

Fruiting of sweet cherry occurs in November, December.

When does sweet cherry flower?

Flowering of sweet cherry occurs in August, September.

What stage and stratum does sweet cherry occupy in a syntropic system?

In a syntropic system, sweet cherry belongs to the secondary ii stage, occupying the high stratum.

Functions

🍎 Fruit Timber 🐝 Attracts pollinators 🍯 Melliferous

Propagation

Grafting

Citations

  1. Wikipedia (scientific_name, height_min_m, height_max_m, propagation)
  2. Wikidata (wikidata_qid)
  3. GBIF (gbif_taxon_key)
  4. Royal Horticultural Society (pruning_notes, time_to_first_harvest_months)
  5. POWO (powo_id, scientific_name)

External references

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