Cherry plum
Prunus cerasifera
Rosaceae
Edible Uses
Fruit
It can be eaten raw or cooked as a jam or syrup. It gets more sour by cooking, so a lot of sugar or sweeteners (xylitol, eritrol) must be added to compensate for this. The sour taste can be taken advantage when prepared without sugar, as a chutney. In this form, it can be consumed with meat.
Seeds taste bitter, similar to almond, because of the hydrogen cyanide content. It is recommended to consume only in small amounts.
Medicinal Uses
Fruit
The fruit can be used as a mild laxative, consumed raw or prepared as a syrup or jam.
Main Characteristics
He is a 5-7 m tall deciduous shrub or small tree. The young trunk is even, later it gets scaly or chapped. Leaves are ovate or obovate, with a peak at the top. The flowers are white, 5-petaled. The fruit is red or yellow, round and juicy, slightly larger than a cherry, which are not free-stone.
Habitats
Along the road side
Mesic deciduous forest
Harvesting aid
Fruit
August, October, September
The cherry plum tree often bears lots of fruit. The ripe fruit can easily be shaken from the tree. The gathered fruit spoils quickly, so the processing need to be done on the same day or the next day. In the fridge, you can keem them a little bit longer.
August, October, September
The stones are similar to the cherry stones. They can be dried and broken with a hammer to access the almond, that can be used for edible purposes.
Confusion with other plants
During the flowering period, it can be confused with other plum species (Prunus spp.) such as the sloe (Prunus spinoza) or the garden plum (Prunus domestica).
Prunus domestica
Garden plum
It can be confused with some variety of the garden plum (Prunus domestica). These are – contrary to cherry plum - freestone, and they are less sour. Both of these species are edible.
Description
Size: 5 m - 7 m
Bloom time: April,
March,
Alternative common name(s):
- Myrobalan plum
Flower
Inflorescence type: Solitary
Flower Colour: White 
Flower shape: 5 petaled
Stem
Trunk pattern: even
Trunk Colour: Grayish-brown
Leaf
Foliage type: Alternate 
Foliage texture: Smooth
Leaf shape: Ovate
Leaf margin: Serrate
Leaf type: Simple
Fruit
Fruit Category: Fruit
Fruit type: Drupe