Cerasus szechuanica seed

LATIN NAME: CERASUS SZECHUANICA

COMMON NAME: Sichuan Cherry

The Sichuan cherry veils the bare branches with the soft, white-pink flowers in the early spring, the finely toothed leaves following, and the small, dark red fruits that ripen through the summer. The bark stays smooth and glossy, the crown opens with the graceful, spreading habit, and the whole tree carries the fresh, early charm of the mountain cherries. The fruits hang in the small clusters, sweet enough for the birds to strip them fast, and the autumn foliage turns to the warm golds and the reds. It likes the sun, the shelter, and the deep, moist, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

Among the wild cherries of the high forests, the Sichuan cherry holds a steady place in the breeding notes. Researchers record the flower timing and the fruit characters, breeders reach for the wild cherries when they want the early bloom and the cold tolerance in the ornamental crosses, and the seed-grown trees keep the generous spring show without the fuss. The ecologists who follow the fruit-eating birds through the mountain forests know the tree well, because the small fruits fuel the migrations.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

In the cool garden, the Sichuan cherry is the tree that wakes the spring. The white-pink flowers veil the bare branches before most of the fruit trees stir, the autumn foliage turns to the warm golds and the reds, and the small fruits keep the birds and the small mammals fed. It makes the graceful specimen for the lawn or the woodland edge, and the wood of the wild cherries serves the small turnery and the smoking chips. Early, generous and undemanding.

The Sichuan cherry seeds start in a gritty, loamy soil kept moist in a bright, cool place. The young trees rise with the smooth, glossy shoots, and they grow on steadily through the first season. They are hardy from the start, and they take the ordinary garden soil without the fuss. Plant them out in the sunny spot, and the first white-pink flowers will come within the few years. The birds will find the fruits, and the autumn foliage turns to the warm golds and the reds.

To grow the Sichuan cherry from seed, sow the small, stony seeds evenly into the seed tray of sandy, loamy soil, keep the tray in the bright, cool spot and water gently. The seedlings show themselves within a few weeks, and they grow on steadily. Set the young trees in the deep, moist ground of the sunny spot, and the spring flowers will veil the branches each year.