Facts about Mongolian Cherry

Sylvia

3 years ago

Prunus fruticosa popularly known as Mongolian Cherry is a deciduous shrub of low, spreading habit belonging to Rosaceae (Rose family). The plant is native to Ciscaucasia, western Siberia, Kazakhstan, Xinjiang China, western Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Belarus, Moldova, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Serbia, Austria, and Italy. Some of the popular common names of the plant are Dwarf cherry, European dwarf cherry, Steppe cherry, Siberian cherry and Mongolian cherry. It is also called ground cherry and European ground cherry, but is not to be confused with plants in the distinct “Ground cherry” genus of Physalis. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It is occasionally grown as a fruit crop in gardens, is used as a rootstock for the cherry and is also sometimes grown as an ornamental.

Mongolian Cherry Facts

Mongolian Cherry Quick Facts
Name:	Mongolian Cherry
Scientific Name:	Prunus fruticosa
Origin	Ciscaucasia, western Siberia, Kazakhstan, Xinjiang China, western Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Belarus, Moldova, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Serbia, Austria, and Italy
Colors	Green when young turning to very deep reddish purple as they mature
Shapes	About the size of a large pea, globose to pyriform, about 8–25 mm in diameter
Taste	Sour-sweet, or tart
Health benefits	Helps to stimulate respiration, improves digestion, coughs, colds, gout and gives a sense of well-being.

Name	Mongolian Cherry
Scientific Name	Prunus fruticosa
Native	Ciscaucasia, western Siberia, Kazakhstan, Xinjiang China, western Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Belarus, Moldova, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Serbia, Austria, and Italy
Common Names	Dwarf cherry, Ground cherry, European ground cherry , European dwarf cherry, Steppe cherry, Siberian cherry, Mongolian cherry
Name in Other Languages	Arabic: Karaz qizm ‘uwrubiyun (كرز قزم أوروبي) Azerbaijani: Yabanı gilas Bulgarian: Stepna višna (степна вишна), khrastovidna cheresha (храстовидна череша) Chinese: Cao yuan ying tao (草原樱桃) Croatian: Patuljasta trešnja Czech: Třešeň křovitá Danish: Dvaergkirsebaer , Joedekirsebaer Dutch: Dwergkers English: Dwarf cherry, Ground cherry, European ground cherry , European dwarf cherry, Steppe cherry, Siberian cherry, Mongolian cherry Finnish: Euroopankääpiökirsikka, Arokirsikka French: Cerisier buissonnant, Cerisier des steppes, Cerisier nain, Griottier nain, Prunier nain, Prunier buissonant German: Steppenkirsche, Zwergkirsche, Zwergekirsche, Strauch-Kirsche, Steppenkirschbaum, Zwergkirschbaum Hungarian: Csepleszmeggy, molyhos madárhúr Italian: Ciliegio nano, Ciliegio cespuglioso, pruno fruticosa Kazakh: Dalalıq şïye, Далалық шие, دالالىق شىييە Persian: پرونوس فروتیکوسا Polish: Wishnia karlowata, Wisnia karlowata, wisienka stepowa Portuguese: Cereja-anã Russian: Stepnaia vishnia, Vishennik, Vishnia kustarnikovaia (Вишня кустарниковая) Serbian: Divlja višnja (дивља вишња), stepska višnja (степска вишња) Slovak: Cerešňa krovitá Spanish: Cerezo enano, cerezo enano europeo, cerezo mongol Swedish: Stäppkörsbär Turkish: Bodur kiraz Ukrainian: Vyshnya shtepova (Вишня степова), vyshnya kushchova (вишня кущова) Upper Sorbian: Mała wišnja
Plant Growth Habit	Much-branched, deciduous, xerophytic, winter-hardy, cherry-bearing shrub
Growing Climates	Shrubby thickets, dry grassland, forest-steppes, steppe zone, broad-leaved forest margins, open dry slopes, flatlands with dry steppe vegetation, karst areas
Soil	Thrives in a well-drained moisture-retentive loamy soil, growing well on limestone. It also prefers some lime in the soil but is likely to become chlorotic if too much lime is present
Plant Size	Usually grows 20 – 100 cm tall, occasionally reaching 200 cm
Bark	Bark is dark brown with yellow lenticels
Leaf	Oblanceolate to obovate, tapering to both ends about 12 mm long and 6 mm wide, with acuminate apex, glabrous above, thick, serrated with crenate margin, dark glossy green, yellow in autumn, with a short petiole
Flowering season	Early May
Flower	Flowers are white hermaphroditic blossoms in leafy bracts located 2-4 each on short peduncles in sessile umbels. They are produced in usually stalk less umbels of about four from buds on the previous year’s shoots, each flower on a slender stalk 1⁄2 to 1 in. long. They are pollinated by bees.
Fruit Shape & Size	Fruits are about the size of a large pea, globose to pyriform, about 8–25 mm in diameter
Fruit Color	Green when young turning to very deep reddish purple as they mature
Propagation	By Seeds, Cuttings
Taste	Sour-sweet, or tart
Plant Parts Used	Fruits, Seeds
Season	July to August
Lifespan	Approximately 20 years
Precautions	In larger concentrations, however, cyanide can cause gasping, weakness, excitement, pupil dilation, spasms, convulsions, coma and respiratory failure leading to death.

Plant Description

Mongolian Cherry is a much-branched, deciduous, xerophytic, winter-hardy, cherry-bearing shrub that normally grows about 20 – 100 cm tall, occasionally reaching 200 cm. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years. The plant is found growing in shrubby thickets, dry grassland, forest-steppes, steppe zone, broad-leaved forest margins, open dry slopes, flatlands with dry steppe vegetation and karst areas. It thrives in a well-drained moisture-retentive loamy soil, growing well on limestone. It also prefers some lime in the soil but is likely to become chlorotic if too much lime is present. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. The plant produces suckers, forming a thicket. Roots are abundant. The plant requires full sun; it is a steppe rather than a forest plant, although it does form thickets at the edges of open forest.

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Mongolian Cherry Image Gallery

Leaves

Leaves are oblanceolate to obovate, tapering to both ends about 12 mm long and 6 mm wide, with acuminate apex, glabrous above, thick, serrated with crenate margin, dark glossy green, and yellow in autumn, with a short petiole.

Bud Arrangement	Alternate
Bud Color	Brown
Bud Size	1/8 inch
Leaf Type and Shape	Simple, ovate-elliptical
Leaf Margins	Crenate-serrulate
Leaf Surface	Glossy, smooth
Leaf Length	3/4 to 2 inches
Leaf Width	3/8 to 1 inch
Leaf Color	Dark glossy-green; yellow fall color

Flowers

The flowers are white hermaphroditic blossoms in leafy bracts located 2-4 each on short peduncles in sessile umbels. They are produced in usually stalk less umbels of about four from buds on the previous year’s shoots, each flower on a slender stalk 1⁄2 to 1 in. long. They are pollinated by bees. In the Northern Hemisphere, the plant flowers in May. This is a self-pollinating variety, so it doesn’t require a second plant close to set fruit. The flowers are its basis of bee-keeping honey plant.

Flower Type	2 or 4 flowers in sessile umbels, with leafy bracts
Flower Color	White

Fruits

Fertile flowers are followed by fruits that are about the size of a large pea, globose to pyriform, about 8–25 mm in diameter. Fruits are initially green turning to very deep reddish purple as they mature. Fruit start ripening in August. The taste is sour-sweet, or tart.

Fruit Type	Cherry-shaped fruit, globose
Fruit Color	Dark red

Traditional uses and benefits of Mongolian Cherry

In small amounts this extremely poisonous compound helps to stimulate respiration, improves digestion and gives a sense of well-being.
It has been used as an astringent for coughs, colds, gout, and in cancer research.

Culinary Uses

Fruit can be consumed raw or cooked.
As a sour tasting cherry, the fruit is used in cooking, and for jams and jellies.
It can also be made into preserves or dried for later use.
Seed can be consumed raw or cooked.
Do not eat the seed if it is too bitter.

Other Facts

A green dye can be obtained from the leaves.
A dark grey to green dye can be obtained from the fruit.
It is planted in hedgerows as an ornamental plant privacy screen and windbreak.
It is a host plant for bees and other beneficial insects and birds.
It is used for screen, hedge, border and group plantings.
The shrub’s network of penetrating roots is useful for soil stabilization in designed landscapes and habitat restoration projects.
The plant is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard.

Mongolian Cherry is recommended for the following landscape applications;