Bird Cherry

Description
Scientific Names: Prunus padus
Common Names: Bird Cherry, Hackberry

Plant Type: Mid-size spring flower.
Height: 2–12 m (7–40 ft.).
Native Habitat: Broadleaf woods, streamsides, waterside thickets, forest margins. Also an ornamental.
Native Range: Europe, northern Asia to central Japan.
Flower: Showy flowers, fragrant flowers. Regular (actinomorphic), fairly small. Calyx-lobes 5, short, triangular. Petals 5, white, rarely reddish. One carpel. Stamens more than 20. Inflorescence a many-flowered, pendent raceme.
Flowering Time: April-May.

The cherries and plums (Prunus spp.) forming a genus of nearly 100 species. Most of the species occur in the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere. The Bird Cherry showily flowers in early summer. It is a shrub or small tree that is very demanding in terms of the growing substrate, but also thrives in the shade. But in short light it produces fewer flowers and often forms dense stands with drooping branches. The heavy-scented flowers attract insects, especially flies and bees. The wood and bark of this species contain a poisonous glycoside which breaks down into benzaldehyde (bitter almond oil) and hydrogen cyanide. These compounds cause a strong odor and taste, which act as an effective defense against herbivory. Nevertheless, the larva of certain moths (family Yponomeutidae) is not uncommon for the trees in white silky web and eat the leaves.

The black fruits of bird cherry is bitter-sweet. They can to produce a tasty liqueur or dyeing of wool, as they will yield a pale purple shade used. In northern Lapland, the dominant subspecies borealis. It is hairy and the flowers are mild scent. The fruit of this tree is rarely used in Western Europe, but is often eaten on the east. It was used medicinally in the Middle Ages. The bark of the tree, placed at the door should be, to ward off plague. It is also sold as an ornamental plant in North America as May Day tree. A taboo on the use of wood was reported by indigenous Advie, in the north east of Scotland is called a "witch tree".

Uses
Used as ornamental trees, spring flowers are the best ornamental feature. Medium-sized tree for sunny landscape areas. Can also be used as a shade plant or as a street tree that will surely add to the beauty of the place. They can to produce a tasty liqueur or dyeing of wool, as they will yield a pale purple shade used.