The time when bird cherry blossoms is special. Firstly, it is a very beautiful sight. Even the trees barely blossomed their leaves, and here, like explosions of white color - hanging odorous buds of white flowers and swirling swarms of bees above them. The people call bird cherry a beautiful bride. Putting on an elegant white decoration, it symbolizes the transition to the hot early summer.
The bird cherry genus has 20 species of shrubs and trees. In the middle lane in gardens, common bird cherry is common, having black, astringent fruits, and also Virgin, whose berries are red. The most pleasant smell during flowering is the fragrant bird cherry.
The flowers of bird cherry are unusually fragrant and collected in brushes, reaching a length of 12 cm. She has large leaves. It can often be found in city parks, among shrubs in damp forests, in the western regions of forests of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. In forest-steppe zones, this plant is less common. Bird cherry is widespread in the forests of all Europe, and is found in Western Siberia. Its wood is dense, hard and elastic, has a rare brownish-black color, which is why it has found application in turning and carpentry.
The fruits of bird cherry have a peculiar astringent taste. They can be eaten, but not raw. Of these, as a rule, a variety of drinks are prepared, as well as flour. Of the latter, jelly, fillings for pies and dumplings are made.
What is good for us?
In addition to beauty and a pleasant smell, this tree has many useful properties that we can use. When the bird cherry blossoms, its flowers contain vitamins C (ascorbic acid), E, P, micro and macro elements - copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc, etc. The fruits contain 5% sugars, flavonoids (isoquercetin, rutin), anthocyanins, citric and malic acid.
The flowers of bird cherry, like its fruits, are used as a good diuretic and choleretic agent. They are also used to treat rheumatism, gout, pulmonary tuberculosis, purulent wounds, furunculosis, enterocolitis, conjunctivitis, non-infectious diarrhea, and the initial stages of diabetes.
Bird cherry cold
They say that when the bird cherry blossoms, a cold snap sets in. Is it true? Since ancient times, people believed that the cooling color brings with it the color of bird cherry. But popular signs only fix, and do not explain the essence of the phenomenon. In May, when the bird cherry blossoms, a return of cold weather is observed, often with snow. The reason is that at this time Arctic air masses from the north of Scandinavia often invade us. As for the tree itself, the time when the bird cherry blossoms can both coincide with the arrival of these cold weather, and it can pass earlier.
If you plant bird cherry in your garden, this tree will give you fragrant beautiful inflorescences, and then it will allow you to enjoy the fruits. New varieties of bird cherry have large and not so tart berries, they have a peculiar piquant taste. Biologically active substances contained in them slow down the aging process, increase the body's resistance to adverse environmental conditions, fruits and flowers contain vitamins and minerals.