Edible cherries?!

[ChickenMomma91]

please tell me that I found a cherry grove at our nearest fishing spot? If it's edible cherries not the ornamental I'm coming down here with buckets when I go on stay-cation.

 

[seedcorn]

Shows how stupid I am, didn't know there were cherries that were inedible.

 

[ChickenMomma91]

Shows how stupid I am, didn't know there were cherries that were inedible.

I was told the ornamentals aren't safe to eat

 

[thistlebloom]

I was told the ornamentals aren't safe to eat

Huh.I have never heard this. That doesn't mean it isn't so, but it doesn't make sense to me. "Ornamental" usually means it has been bred to bloom only, not produce fruit, and occasionally an ornamental or flowering fruit tree will produce fruit, but it is small and unappetizing to all but wildlife. Not poisonous to my knowledge.

I have had plums from "flowering" plum trees and they were the exception to the tasteless rule. They were delicious, though on the small side.

I think you're completely safe eating those cherries.

 

[Collector]

They look like good cherries to me. Can't help with variety though I am only familiar with Royal Ann, Bing , and Ranier .

 

[Pulsegleaner]

That actually looks more like American Wild Plum to me

I know the fruit may seem a little small for a plum but wild plum is like mirabelles, they're about large cherry size.

Doesn't change the edibility (in fact, given how some of the wild cherries taste, it may enhance it somewhat) but though you should know.
I'm not sure any of the cherries are inedible (provided you don't crack the pits and eat the kernels, or the wilted leaves) but a lot of them probably don't taste very good. For a long while I had an "ornamental" purple leaved peach (a Hiawatha, if I recall) and while I DID eat the golf ball sized fruit when I could beat the squirrels to it I will be the first to admit it wasn't all that good (about supermarket quality at best)

 

[Nyboy]

Remember there are 2 types of cherries sweet good for eating and sour good for cooking.

 

[Nyboy]

Just noticed your in Missouri do cherries grow that far south ? They need certain number of chill hours

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Just noticed your in Missouri do cherries grow that far south ? They need certain number of chill hours

Depends on what kind of cherry. I know of at least two species that are able to grow as far south as lower California, The Capulin Cherry,Prunus salicifolia (which actually can grow all the way through the topics) and the Catalina Cherry Prunus ilicifolia ssp. lyonii (actually ALL the holly leaf cherries can grow there)

And the Malahab Cherry Prunus mahaleb grows in the Middle East so I assume it is heat tolerant (though that one is grown for the pits, not the fruit)

 

[thistlebloom]

I just remembered the flowering peach my mom planted when I was a kid. It produced peaches every year. They were plum sized white fleshed ones, but sweet and tasty.