Prunus prostrata seed

LATIN NAME: PRUNUS PROSTRATA

COMMON NAME: Mountain Cherry, Prostrate Cherry

The Prunus prostrata, or mountain cherry, is one of the most charming of the dwarf cherries, and its low, spreading habit, its small, white flowers and its dark, sour cherries have made it a plant of interest to the rock gardeners and the alpine enthusiasts across the temperate world. It grows as a low, spreading, deciduous shrub of the rose family, reaching up to a metre or more, with the spreading, often prostrate, branching stems bearing alternate, small, oval, toothed, grey-green leaves and, in the spring, the small, white, five-petalled flowers which appear with the leaves, followed by the small, dark-red, sour cherries in the summer. It is a species of the flowering shrub, native to the rocky slopes and the mountains of the Mediterranean and the western Asia, while it has been cultivated in the rock gardens for its habit, and it is known as the mountain cherry or the prostrate cherry.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The mountain cherry has a real and distinguished place in research. It has been studied in the horticulture and the ornamental-plant science, since the Prunus prostrata is a charming dwarf shrub for the rock garden and the alpine bed, and the researchers have examined its cultivation, its propagation and its value in the landscape, while the study of the dwarf shrubs and the alpine plants has drawn attention in the international horticultural press. The plant has also been studied in the genetics and the plant science, since the mountain cherry is a wild relative of the cultivated cherries and a potential source of the dwarfing genes and the disease resistance, and the researchers have examined its genetics, its relationships and its use in the breeding, while the study of the fruit tree wild relatives has been of continuing interest. The species has also been studied in the ecology and the conservation, since it is a plant of the rocky slopes and the mountains and a part of the alpine ecosystems, and its role in the mountain habitats and its conservation have been examined, while the small, white flowers and the dark cherries of the mountain cherry have been of interest to the botanists and the gardeners. For a shrub of such charm, the Prunus prostrata has a rich and distinguished record of research.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

To grow the Mountain Cherry from seed, the mountain cherry is a low, spreading, deciduous shrub of the rocky slopes and the mountains, bearing the small, white, five-petalled flowers in the spring and the small, dark, sour cherries in the summer. Its flowers feed the bees and the pollinating insects of the mountains, and its low, spreading habit gives a fine presence in the rock garden and the alpine bed, while its sour cherries are eaten by the birds and the small animals. Its economic value is real: the mountain cherry is prized as a dwarf shrub for the rock garden and the alpine bed, and its value has drawn attention in the international horticultural press, while the charming habit and the spring flowers have made it a favourite of the rock gardens and the alpine collections, and the shrub is a fine addition to the rock garden, the alpine bed and the dry slope. To raise the mountain cherry, sow the seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a cool, bright place, keep them gently watered, and grow the little shrubs on in the sun.

sow the seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a cool, bright place, keep the young cherry gently watered, and grow the little shrubs on in the sun.

Rosaceae: a hardy alpine shrub that can reach 1m. Found on the rocky slopes, naturally above about 2000m. up to as high as 4000m. The flowers are solitary or in pairs, and are an unusual light rose colour, blooming from April–May. The fruit is red, ovate, with thin flesh, ripening in July. The leaves are ovate, with serrate margins. The bark is reddish brown. Native to Israel, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Syria, Turkey, Albania, Greece, including Crete, Italy, Sardinia, Croatia, France, Corsica, Spain, the Caucasus, Iran, Kashmir and Afghanistan. USES: The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked, but are said not to be very palatable. The plants main use is as in ornamental gardening. It makes an interesting, rare and unusual addition to the rock garden. It could an interesting bonsai subject. GROWING INFORMATION: Mountain Cherry seeds have a deep dormancy within them, this requires a degree of patience to overcome and it is usually quite easy to get high levels of germination if the correct procedures are followed. First prepare a free draining substrate into which the seeds are to be mixed, this can be a 50/50 mixture of compost and sharp sand, or perlite, vermiculite. The chosen substrate needs to be moist (but not wet), if you can squeeze water out of it with your hand it is too wet and your seeds may drown and die. Mix the seeds into the substrate, making sure that there is enough volume of material to keep the seeds separated. Place the seed mixture into a clear plastic bag (freezer bags, especially zip-lock bags are very useful for this -provided a little gap is left in the seal for air exchange) If it is not a zip-lock type bag it needs to be loosely tied. Then write the date on the bag so that you know when the pre-treatment was started. The seeds first require a period of warm pre-treatment and need to be kept in temperatures of 20˚C for a period of 2-3 weeks. During this time make sure that the pre-treatment medium does not dry out at any stage or it will be ineffective! Next the seeds require a cold period to break the final part of the dormancy, this is easily achieved by placing the bag in the fridge at (4˚C) for approx. 18 weeks. It is quite possible for the seeds to germinate in the bag at these temperatures when they are ready to do so, if they do, just remove them from the bag and carefully plant them up. When the period of pre-treatment has finished, the seed should be ready to be planted. Small quantities can be sown in pots or seed trays filled with a good quality compost and cover them with a thin layer of compost no more than 1cm deep. For larger quantities, it is easiest to sow the seeds in a well-prepared seedbed outdoors once the warm and cold pre-treatments have finished and wait for the seedlings to appear. It has also been found that fluctuating pre-treatment temperatures can give the best germination results and I have myself had excellent results by keeping the mixed seeds in a cold shed through the winter for the cold stage of their pre-treatment and allowing the temperature to fluctuate naturally. Un-germinated seeds can have the whole warm and cold process repeated to enable more seeds to germinate. Fresh seedlings can keep germinating for several years after the original sowing date. Do not expose newly sown seeds to high temperatures (above 25˚C). Keep the seedlings well-watered and weed free. Growth in the first year is usually between 20-50cm depending on the time of germination and cultural techniques and developing seedlings are usually trouble free. Allow them to grow for 1-2 years before planting them in a permanent position. Requires a well-drained moisture retentive soil. Thrives in a loamy soil, doing well on limestone. Requires a very sunny position. The plants dislike strong winds often dying back when growing in exposed positions. Plants normally flower profusely in British gardens. Grows well in the rock garden.