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?
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/simon404/Cherry25710.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/simon404/Cherrytree257.jpg)
Umm...that looks like ornamental plum....as for eating them..do they taste edible?
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
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.
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.
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 :-\
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!!
could it be a Prunus Nigra?
http://www.trinacriabonsai.com/Public/data/bearking/200822212148_prunus-nigra.jpg
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!
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 ::)
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/ (http://www.nationalfruitcollection.org.uk/)
Anyhow, you've found the most important thing, namely really ripe, delicious plums! Yippee! ;D ;D ;D