Winter twig

The elliptical leaves are alternate, spreading when young, are 5-8 cm long, with a blunt-toothed margin: they are dark-green and somewhat shiny above, soon hairless or nearly so beneath. There are glands at the top of the 2-3 cm long leaf-stalk.

ID check

Dwarf cherry is a much-branched deciduous shrub or small tree up to 7 m, with dark slender stems, an ill-defined trunk which suckers freely. An introduction which has escaped from cultivation and become established in hedges and thickets.

The 5-petalled flowers are in flat-topped clusters on short stalks, 1-4 cm long: they appear in April and May after the leaves.

The petals are almost circular with a round base.

The fruits, which are ripe in July and August, are bright red or black and very sour.

Facts

• One of the parents of the cultivated 'Morello' cherry.

• The fruits, despite being sour, are used for jam, syrup and liqueur making.

• A native of South-west Asia.