// SPECIES PROFILE · TREE · FOOD CROP · CULTIVATED

Sour Cherry

Prunus cerasus

Sour Cherry (Prunus cerasus) is a cultivated fruit tree grown for its edible fruit. Family: Rosaceae (rose family). Originally from Europe & Southwest Asia. Hardy in zones 4a–7a. Mature size 10'–20'. Harvest in northeastern Oklahoma: Jun.

// QUICK FACTS

Family: Rosaceae (rose family)
Group: tree · perennial
Origin: Europe & Southwest Asia · cultivated
USDA zones: Zones 4a–7a
Mature size: 10'–20'
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium
Edible parts: fruit
Harvest (NE OK): Jun
Garden role: self-fertile pie cherry · handles heat better than sweet cherry · Montmorency is the standard

Sour Cherry (Prunus cerasus) — *Prunus cerasus* — Sour Cherry. Photo by Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain).

Field Notes

[ growing · ecology · siting · care ]

Why it's on this list: self-fertile pie cherry · handles heat better than sweet cherry · Montmorency is the standard. A cultivated food crop — not a native — grown alongside regional natives in Rooted Revival's kitchen-garden and food-forest designs. Harvest windows are for northeastern Oklahoma (USDA zone 7a).

Companion Planting

[ guild · polyculture · cross-layer pairings ]

In a kitchen garden or food-forest guild, sour cherry pairs well with: Wild chives (Allium schoenoprasum), Comfrey (Symphytum officinale), Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa).