Prunus avium seed

Wild cherry (Prunus avium) is thought to be the most ornamental of our native broadleaf woodland trees.
It is native throughout the UK and Europe, except the far north. The second part of its botanical name – ‘avium’ refers to birds, which eat the cherries and disperse the seed. In Scotland, cherry is sometimes referred to as ‘gean’.

Mature trees can grow to 30m and live for up to 60 years. The shiny bark is a deep reddish-brown with prominent cream-coloured horizontal lines. The green leaves are oval and toothed with pointed tips. They fade to orange and deep crimson in autumn.
Cherry trees are hermaphrodite, meaning the male and female reproductive parts are found in the same Flower, in April. Flowers are white and cup-shaped, they hang in clusters of two to six.

After pollination by insects, the flowers develop into globular, hairless deep red cherries.