Prunus serotina
| Prunus serotina | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 59' |
| Width: | 26' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Prunus serotina (common name: rum cherry)
Propagation: Seed - requires 2 - 3 months cold stratification and is best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe[1]. Sow stored seed in a cold frame as early in the year as possible[1]. Protect the seed from mice etc. The seed can be rather slow, sometimes taking 18 months to germinate[2]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Grow them on in a greenhouse or cold frame for their first winter and plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood with a heel, July/August in a frame[3][1].
Softwood cuttings from strongly growing plants in spring to early summer in a frame[1].
Layering in spring.
Cultivation: Requires a well-drained moisture retentive soil[4][3]. Requires a warm sunny position[3][5]. Thrives in a loamy soil, doing well on limestone[3]. Prefers some chalk in the soil but apt to become chlorotic if too much is present[4].
A fast-growing and moderately long-lived tree in the wild, producing a heavy fruit crop about once every 4 years[6]. It is cultivated for its timber in C. Europe[7].
This species produces an abundance of flowers and usually fruits well in Britain[3]. In the wild the tree begins to fruit when about 10 years old and then continues for about 100 years, fruiting well in most years[8].
Most members of this genus are shallow-rooted and will produce suckers if the roots are damaged[9].
Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[1].
Range: N. America - Nova Scotia to Minnesota, south to Florida and Texas. Also in Arizona and Mexico.
Habitat: Found in a variety of soils, preferring moist fertile conditions on north or east facing slopes or protected coves[6]. Dry woods[10].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked in pies, jellies, stews etc[11][3][12][13][14][15][8][16]. It must be fully ripe or else it will have a bitter flavour. The fruit can taste sweet or bitter[10]. The better fruits have a thin skin and a juicy flesh with a pleasant vinous flavour[17]. The fruit can also be used as a flavouring[8]. The taste is best when the plant is grown in a sunny position[5]. The fruit is about 9mm in diameter and contains one large seed[1].
Seed - raw or cooked. Do not eat the seed if it is too bitter - see the notes above on toxicity.
An infusion of the twigs is used as a beverage[18][19]. An extract from the bark is used commercially as a flavouring in soft drinks, sweets, syrups and baked goods[16].
Medicinal: Rum cherry was widely employed medicinally by various native North American Indian tribes who used it to treat a variety of complaints[19]. It is little, if at all, used in modern herbalism.
The bark of the root, trunk and branches is antitussive, astringent, pectoral, sedative, stomachic, tonic[20][21][22][23][9]. The medicinal properties of this plant are destroyed by boiling, so the plant should only be allowed to steep in warm water[24].
The root bark and the aromatic inner bark have expectorant and mild sedative properties and a tea made from either of them has been used to ease pain in the early stages of labour[24][25]. The tea is also used in the treatment of fevers, colds, sore throats, diarrhoea etc[25][19]. The bark is harvested in the autumn and should not be stored for longer than one year since it quickly loses its medicinal properties[20][24]. Young thin bark is preferred[24].
A decoction of the inner bark has been used in the treatment of laryngitis[19].
The root bark has been used as a wash on old sores and ulcers[19].
The bark contains the glycoside prunasin, which is converted in the digestive tract to the highly toxic hydrocyanic acid[25]. Prunasin is at its highest level in the bark in the autumn[25] so the bark is harvested at this time and can be dried for later use[26]. In small amounts this exceedingly poisonous compound stimulates respiration, improves digestion and gives a sense of well-being[9].
The fruit is astringent and has been used in the treatment of dysentery[24].
Usage: A green dye can be obtained from the leaves[27].
A dark grey to green dye can be obtained from the fruit[27].
Wood - close and straight-grained, light, strong, rather hard, highly shock resistant[28][17][8][29][6]. It bends well, works well, finishes smoothly, glues well, seasons well, shrinks moderately and is moderately free from checking and warping[30]. It weighs about 36lb per cubic foot and takes a beautiful polish[30]. It is widely used for furniture, cabinet making, the interior finish of buildings etc[28][17][8][29][6].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The seeds and leaves of this species contain high quantities of hydrogen cyanide, a poison that gives almonds their characteristic flavour. This toxin is readily detected by its bitter taste. Usually present in too small a quantity to do any harm, any ver
Also Known As: P. eximia. Padus serotina.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 McPherson, Alan and Sue McPherson. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press, 1977.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Elias, Thomas. The Complete Trees of North America. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
- ↑ Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Vines, Robert. Trees of Central Texas. University of Texas Press, 1987.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Nicholson, Barbara and Stephen Harrison. The Oxford Book of Food Plants. Oxford University Press, 1975.
- ↑ Harris, Ben. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health, 1973.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ Turner, Nancy. Edible Wild Fruits and Nuts of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences, 1978.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Saunders, Charles. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1976.
- ↑ Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 24.4 Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 Vines, Robert. Trees of North Texas. University of Texas Press, 1982.