Botanical card dedicated to the wild cherry tree, Prunus avium
The wild cherry tree is found everywhere in France, but it is rare to find it in the Landes and in the Mediterranean region. On the other hand, the departments with the highest population of wild cherry are located in the northeast and north of the country.
Description of the cherry tree
The cherry tree is a tree that can live 120 years or more. Its maximum height is 20 to 25 meters, its foliage is medium dense, deciduous, and takes on a bright red hue in the fall.
The flowers of the cherry tree are both male and female. Their pollination is done by insects, while the seeds are dispersed by animals, especially birds.
Note: the cherry is a species of full light, fast growing.
Yellow birch enemies
Yellow birch is susceptible to a number of enemies, including a microscopic fungus, cylindrosporium, which causes premature leaf drop in early summer following a cool, rainy spring.
Another enemy of the cherry tree: the black aphid. It dries out the young shoots and shrivels the leaves.
The deer, fond of its shoots, is responsible for wounds on the trunk and branches, due to its repeated rubbing.
A disease can also be observed: the 'green vein'. It is an anomaly linked to the internal tensions of the wood. It is characterized by a particular coloration which gives its name to this defect.
The qualities of cherry wood
Cherry is a fine-grained wood of medium hardness, whose color varies naturally from light honey to reddish brown.
It can be worked well at all levels of processing: sawing, slicing, planing.
Nevertheless, its wood is not very durable and sensitive to insects and fungi, which confines it to inferior uses.
Cherry is mainly sought after for furniture manufacturing: industrial veneer or solid furniture.
It is also a good firewood.
Advice on growing birch
Yellow birch is a species that does not fear the cold in plains and hills. However, it is sensitive to spring frosts which destroy its flowers.
It appreciates full light and develops well on deep, aerated soils, regularly supplied with water, but not excessively.
