Edible?

[simon404]

I planted this cherry tree as a young seedling I found so I don't know the variety though I presume it's ornamental. So will the cherries be safe to eat?

[simon404]

[goodlife]

Umm...that looks like ornamental plum....as for eating them..do they taste edible?

[Jeannine]

They won't hurt you but may not be dessert quality, bet they make  cherry jelly though,I would try it for sure XX Jeannine

[Unwashed]

that looks like a myrobalan or cherry plum.  More of a gage/plump than a cherry.  What is the flesh like?  I'd suggest jam.

Are any of the ornamentals actually poisonous, or is the worst case thet they're insipid?  Poisonous is a possibility because several of the family make cyanide in their seeds/pits, but that's true for almonds, apples, and cherries, and obviously the fruit is edible.  Hmm, I might be wrong about almonds if you think about it.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Almonds do contain cyanide, in small quantities. One bitter almond, whch has a lot more than the sweet type, could potentially give you a stomach ache, but it's no worse than that. No way is anyone going to get a fatal dose.

[kypfer]

Looks much like the tree that shades a lot of my little plot (it's free, so I can't complain). The fruit, when it's VERY ripe, is just about edible, with a definite tang of kirsch ... rather nice actually ... but just before it gets to that state it makes a very acceptable jam, though stoning the fruit is a bit of a chore  :-\

[Morris]

Funnily enough, my sister and I were commenting how these ornamental plums/cherries seem to  be fruiting everywhere this year.  She said she had seen a family stripping a tree beside a car park and eating the fruit with great enjoyment as they picked.  Emboldened by this, we ate a test fruit yesterday from her tree, and it was delicious, definitely plum flavour, the skin was sour but the fruit was lovely.  I think it would make a good jam like damson only sweeter.

Yours looks identical, so I would go ahead and see if it tastes nice - my sister and I are still here!!

[sawfish]

could it be a Prunus Nigra?

http://www.trinacriabonsai.com/Public/data/bearking/200822212148_prunus-nigra.jpg

[simon404]

Thanks for your replies, certainly looks like it could be Prunus nigra sawfish, in which case it is a plum and should be edible. I guess the only way to find out as you say is for me to try it!

[simon404]

Well I tried them and they're delicious! Thanks again for your replies - if I hadn't asked on here I'd probably have left them for the birds  ::)

[Spudbash]

Glad you enjoyed them, simon404!  :)

There are quite a lot of ornamental plums and cherry plums ripe at the moment - I plan to go hunting in the hedgerows at the weekend, myself!

BTW, I've just responded to Jeannine's plum identification query and linked her to the National Fruit Collections website - a bit late for you, but in case it helps anyone else...

http://www.nationalfruitcollection.org.uk/

Anyhow, you've found the most important thing, namely really ripe, delicious plums! Yippee!  ;D ;D ;D