EUFORGEN Technical Guidelines for genetic conservation and use for wild cherry (Prunus avium)

belongs to the family Rosaceae and it is a diploid with a chromosome number of 2n=2x=16. The domesticated form cultivated for fruit is known as sweet cherry. Wild cherry can hybridize with the various other cherry species, especially where their natural ranges overlap. It is a fast growing tree, with strong apical growth and most of its lateral branches are arranged in annual whorls. The crown is broadly conical and the trunk usually straight. The bark is shiny with large lenticels and peels horizontally. It is one of the first trees to flower in the spring and produces masses of white blossom. It matures at around 60-80 years, when trees are typically 20-25 m in height with trunks of 50-70 cm in diameter. Exceptional trees can reach up to 35 m in height with trunks over 120 cm in diameter. Wild Prunus avium