Prunus padus
Bird cherry
How do you recognise bird cherry?
The leaf blades are 5–10 cm long, oval, and serrated. The five-petalled flowers are white and strongly scented, carried in a raceme of about twelve. They become small dark blue or black stone fruits.
What is it confused with?
A rowan leaf divides into separate leaflets, while a bird cherry leaf is a single blade. Bird cherry carries its flowers in a long raceme, rowan in a broad flat cluster.
Where does bird cherry grow, and when does it flower?
Bird cherry grows on fertile ground, in groves, along streams and rivers, and around yards. It flowers at the turn of May and June once the leaves are out.
Can you collect it for a herbarium?
Bird cherry is common, and a leafy twig tip is enough. Careful. Do not taste this plant.
Did you know?
A cold spell often falls during its flowering, known in Finnish as the bird cherry winter. The strong scent draws pollinators from a distance.
Where does bird cherry grow in Finland?
The map shows where the species has been recorded. Darker squares mean more observations.
Loading the map
Observations: GBIF · Map: CARTO, OpenStreetMap
Sources: fi.wikipedia.org
Identify plants with your phone
Linnea identifies a plant from a photo and tells you its name and its story. Every find takes its own numbered place in your herbarium, with the day and the town where you found it.
