Plantae > Tracheophyta > Magnoliopsida > Rosales > Rosaceae > Prunus > Prunus mahaleb

Prunus mahaleb (St Lucie cherry)

Synonyms:

Wikipedia Abstract

Prunus mahaleb, the mahaleb cherry or St Lucie cherry, is a species of cherry tree. The tree is cultivated for a spice obtained from the seeds inside the cherry stones. The seeds have a fragrant smell and have a taste comparable to bitter almonds with cherry notes. The tree is native in the Mediterranean region, Iran and parts of central Asia. It is adjudged to be native in northwestern Europe or at least it is naturalized there. It is a deciduous tree or large shrub, growing to 2–10 m (rarely up to 12 m) tall with a trunk up to 40 cm diameter.
View Wikipedia Record: Prunus mahaleb

Infraspecies

Attributes

Dispersal Mode [4]  Endozoochory
Edible [1]  May be edible. See the Plants For A Future link below for details.
Flower Type [1]  Hermaphrodite
Hazards [1]  Although no specific mention has been seen for this species, it belongs to a genus where most, if not all members of the genus produce hydrogen cyanide, a poison that gives almonds their characteristic flavour. This toxin is found mainly in the leaves and seed and is readily detected by its bitter taste. It is usually present in too small a quantity to do any harm but any very bitter seed or fruit should not be eaten. In small quantities, hydrogen cyanide has been shown to stimulate respiration and improve digestion, it is also claimed to be of benefit in the treatment of cancer. In excess, however, it can cause respiratory failure and even death.
Leaf Type [1]  Deciduous
Lifespan [2]  Perennial
Pollinators [1]  Insects, Lepidoptera
Specific Gravity [5]  0.5
Structure [1]  Tree
Usage [1]  A green dye can be obtained from the leaves; A dark grey to green dye can be obtained from the fruit; Can be used as a rootstock for the cultivated cherries; Wood - hard, very heavy, polishes well. Used for turnery, ornamental items etc;
Height [1]  30 feet (9 m)
Width [1]  30 feet (9 m)
Light Preference [3]  Mostly Sunny
Soil Acidity [3]  Neutral
Soil Fertility [3]  Infertile
Soil Moisture [3]  Mostly Dry
View Plants For A Future Record : Prunus mahaleb

Protected Areas

Predators

Citations

Attributes / relations provided by
1Plants For A Future licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
2USDA Plants Database, U. S. Department of Agriculture
3Ellenberg, H., Weber, H.E., Dull, R., Wirth, V., Werner, W., Paulissen, D. (1991) Zeigerwerte von Pflanzen in Mitteleuropa. Scripta Geobotanica 18, 1–248
4Paula S, Arianoutsou M, Kazanis D, Tavsanoglu Ç, Lloret F, Buhk C, Ojeda F, Luna B, Moreno JM, Rodrigo A, Espelta JM, Palacio S, Fernández-Santos B, Fernandes PM, and Pausas JG. 2009. Fire-related traits for plant species of the Mediterranean Basin. Ecology 90: 1420.
Paula S. & Pausas J.G. 2013. BROT: a plant trait database for Mediterranean Basin species. Version 2013.06.
5Forest Inventory and Analysis DB version 5.1, May 4, 2013, U.S. Forest Service
6HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants Gaden S. Robinson, Phillip R. Ackery, Ian J. Kitching, George W. Beccaloni AND Luis M. Hernández
7Biological Records Centre Database of Insects and their Food Plants
8Prunus mahaleb and Birds: The High-Efficiency Seed Dispersal System of a Temperate Fruiting Tree, Carlos M. Herrera and Pedro Jordano, Ecological Monographs Vol. 51, No. 2 (Jun., 1981), pp. 203-218
9Ben-Dov, Y., Miller, D.R. & Gibson, G.A.P. ScaleNet 4 November 2009
10Frugivorous diet of autumn migrant Pied Flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca: a review and new data, A. Hernández, Butll. GCA 16: 53-60, 1999
11Rhagoletis cingulata (Loew) (Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae), H.V. Weems, Jr., Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry, March 2001. Latest revision: January 2012
Abstract provided by DBpedia licensed under a Creative Commons License
Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0