The flowers are the giveaway
Bird cherry, Prunus padus, produces white flowers in racemes: a single stalk carrying 15 to 30 flowers, drooping downwards. From a distance the tree looks as though it has been hung with small white caterpillars.
Wild cherry does the opposite. Its flowers sit in small umbel-like clusters of two to six, held upright or outwards on short stalks. If you can count more than ten flowers on one stalk, you are looking at bird cherry.
Leaves and the leaf stalk glands
- Leaves are oval with a pointed tip, 6 to 12cm long, and finely serrated all the way around.
- The colour is a dull, slightly greyish green, not the deep glossy green of wild cherry.
- Look at where the leaf blade meets the stalk. Bird cherry usually has two small red glands there, one on each side.
- Leaves are alternate along the stem and have a slightly unpleasant smell when crushed, quite unlike the almond smell of the twigs.
- In autumn the leaves turn yellow to red before falling.
Bark and the almond smell
Young bird cherry bark is grey-brown and smooth, marked with prominent horizontal lenticels. On older trees it darkens and develops shallow cracks and a rougher texture.
The reliable test is smell. Bruise a twig or scratch the bark and it releases a distinct almond or marzipan scent, caused by the same compounds that flavour almonds. Wild cherry twigs smell similar, so use this as a confirmation rather than a separator.
Bird cherry and its lookalikes
| Tree | Flower arrangement | Leaf | Fruit | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bird cherry (Prunus padus) | Drooping racemes of 15-30 flowers | Oval, dull green, serrated, glands on stalk | Small black cherries on racemes | Europe and northern Asia |
| Wild cherry (Prunus avium) | Umbels of 2-6 flowers | Oval, glossy, serrated | Red to dark red cherries | Europe and western Asia |
| Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) | Drooping racemes | Broader, sharply toothed | Dark red to black | North America |
| Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) | Flowers singly on bare wood | Small, oval, unlobed | Blue-black sloes | Europe |
| Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) | Flat clusters of many small flowers | Pinnate, many leaflets | Red-orange berries | Europe |
The name confusion to watch for
In Scotland and parts of northern England, bird cherry is a common local name for the wild cherry or gean, Prunus avium. That is a different tree entirely, with bunched flowers rather than racemes and sweet edible fruit rather than bitter black cherries.
If you are working from a local name rather than a botanical one, the flower arrangement is the only reliable way to settle it. Bunches mean wild cherry. Spikes mean bird cherry.
Is the fruit edible?
Bird cherry fruit is not poisonous, but it is bitter and astringent with very little flesh around a large stone. It is not worth eating raw and is mostly left for the birds, which is where the name comes from.
The fruit is sometimes used in preserves or liqueurs, but the seeds, leaves and bark contain compounds that release cyanide when damaged, so nothing but the flesh should ever be eaten.
Bird cherry is one of the easiest trees in the rose family to identify, because it breaks the rule the rest of the family follows. Nearly every cherry and plum carries its flowers in small tight bunches. Bird cherry carries them in long drooping spikes.
That single feature settles the identification in spring. The leaves, bark and fruit confirm it through the rest of the year.
Frequently Asked Questions
The flowers. Bird cherry carries its white flowers in long drooping spikes of 15 to 30 flowers. Wild cherry carries them in small bunches of two to six. The leaves also differ: bird cherry leaves are duller and have small red glands on the stalk.