15+ Different Types of Cherry Trees (Chart, Pictures and Facts) (2024)

Is there anything on Earth more perfectly beautiful than the cherry blossom? These harbingers of spring usher in the days of flowering in immaculate style, their dainty white blossoms giving us second snow after the flurries of wintertime have passed.

I can recall with total clarity the first time I met a wild cherry tree on a hike. I stood under the dark boughs, the white petals breaking away in the breeze and drifting down on me. They fell to the ground, shining like moon bright coins against the dark earth, like pebbles on a path in a fairy tale.

It’s several decades since that hike, and every year I’m always on the lookout for those white-blossomed wild cherry trees, beckoning with their glowing branches like ghosts in the woods. I make sure to give the boughs a gentle shake and revel in that rain of petals.

This cherry was likely a sweet cherry from an old farmstead, not a native grower, now claimed by the young forest growing up around it. Few Prunus types are native to the US. Most of the Prunus genus hails from Europe and Asia. Many of the stone fruits we know and love, as well as the ornamental varieties, were brought here from across the sea.

Cherry Trees US Origin

Perhaps the most famous Prunus import was the gift of 3,000 cherry trees to the United States in 1912, a gesture of friendship from Japan that is celebrated to this day during the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival.

The evolution of that exchange was more convoluted than most people know, with many twists and turns, an entire mini history of international diplomacy all on its own. Without the inspiring presence of a few empowered women, the iconic cherries of Washington DC might never have been realized.

Many gifts and tokens have been exchanged between the two countries over the years, ensuring a perennial rededication of the relationship between our nations. With the gift of thousands of trees, Japan gave the cherry blossom pride of place in our nation’s capital, conferring special importance on the cherry tree in our culture as well as their own.

Cherry Tree as a Real National Treasure

The 3,000 trees contained several varieties. Some were planted on the White House lawn, many in East Potomac Park, and the beautiful froth of blossoming yoshino trees along the Tidal Basin remains a breathtaking scene, perhaps the most beautiful display of cherry trees in the nation.

From this historic gift between Japan and the United States, a whole trail of gifting and annual pageantry has followed. Visitors flock to see the perennial beauty of these transient blossoms, their delicate blooms delivering a subtle subtext on the fragility of international peace. The spirit of friendship remains alive in the shared experience of these enduring trees.

Cherry Trees Cultural Symbolism

Perhaps nowhere on Earth is the cherry tree more cherished than in Japan. Although the chrysanthemum is the official flower of Japan, the Japanese people have taken on the cherry blossom, or sakura, as the emblem of their culture.

The cherry tree is revered and celebrated, particularly during its peak blooming time, when people step out under the flowering branches for hanami, or “cherry blossom viewing.” This charming custom spans all of Japan, a cultural encouragement to slow down and truly experience the brevity and beauty of life itself.

The subject of many cultural references, in Japan the cherry blossom symbolizes the ephemeral and exquisite perfection of life, a bittersweet reminder that nothing beautiful can stay. That depth and sadness is easily heard in this haunting yet beautiful traditional sakura folk song.

The three oldest cherry trees in Japan, collectively known as the Sandaizakura, range in age from the Jindai Zakura, oldest at an estimated 2000 years of age, to the Usuzumizakura at 1500 years old, to the exquisite Miharu Takizakura, whose name literally means “waterfall cherry tree,” the youngest of the three at a mere 1000 years old!

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Special Names for Cherry Trees

The Japanese have some special terms that capture the time of cherry blossoms no matter what land they are blooming in.

1. Sakura Tree

The word means “cherry blossom,” but its root “saku” is the word for “bloom,” or “smile.” What could be more smile-inducing than a picnic and blossom-hunting under branches in full bloom?

2. Sakura zensen

This is the name for the wave of blooms that spread across Japan. It is regarded in the same way that a weather front is, and the Japanese Meteorological Agency provides a forecast of expected bloom times each year.

3. Hanafubuki

From the root words “hana,” meaning “flower,” and “fubuki,” meaning “snow storm,” it literally means “flower snow storm.” It describes the moment when the wind pulls the petals off, sending them floating through the air. Sometimes it’s called “cherry blossom blizzard.”

3. Yozakura

Hanami after dark, from the root “yoru,” or “night,” and “sakura,” or“cherry blossom.” Flower viewing locations are often strung with beautiful paper lanterns to enhance the night time viewing of the cherry blossoms.

The concept of a language of the flowers takes on a whole new depth when steeped in the age-old custom of cherry viewing in Japan. While the cherry is comparatively new to the US, we have also embraced its beauty and its usefulness.

In Japan, the centuries old custom of cherry blossom viewing known as hanami takes place wherever the cherries are in peak bloom. While traveling to Japan to view the blossoms would be a truly amazing experience, you can create your own hanami experience right here in the US.

Anywhere the cherries are at peak bloom will do, from your own backyard to the local arboretum or u-pick orchard, but there are some especially festive locales around the nation where the cherry blossom is well celebrated. Here are a few of the most well known:

1. National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington DC
(March to April)

Whether you take a paddle boat out in the historic Tidal Basin, or visit virtually via the Cherry Blossom Cam and an online tour of one of the many landmarks framed by the cherries in bloom, The National Cherry Blossom Festival is the place to celebrate cherries in this country.

The festival typically offers a variety of activities, such as the Stone Lantern Lighting Ceremony, Blossom Kite Festival, and National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade, as well as many guided tours. You can time your trip with the aid of Bloom Watch, courtesy of the National Park Service.

2. International Cherry Blossom Festival, Macon, GA
(March)

Sporting 350,000 Yoshino cherry trees, Macon, Georgia has been dubbed the “Cherry Blossom Capital of the World.” With its pageant, parade, and performances, the “Pinkest Party on Earth” is no small affair. A carnival midway and food trucks featuring pink hued concessions of all sorts make this a sweet extravaganza.

3. Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival, Brooklyn, NY (March to April)

While this rich cultural festival held at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens has been cancelled since coronavirus hit the US in 2020, hope remains that it, along with so many other lost annual events, will be restored to its former glory in years to come.

The festival takes its name from the sakura matsuri cherry festivals in Japan, of which there are many, and historically has offered various cultural performances featuring Japanese folk dance and taiko drumming. Although this year’s festival has been cancelled, visitors are still welcome to come and contemplate the cherry blossoms at the Brookly Botanic Garden.

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Guide to Cherry Tree Identification

Cherry trees belong to the plant family Rosaceae, alongside some other familiar fruits in the genus Prunus. Apricot, plum, peach, and almond are all near relatives to the cherry, often collectively called “stone fruits” for the hard pit at their centers. Similar displays of spring blossom on the flowering fruit trees in the Prunusgenus are a telltale sign of their close relation.

The cherry tree (Prunus) varieties generally share the following common traits, many helpful in identifying the tree:

1. Drupe

The fruits are characterized by flesh surrounding a hard pit, or stone, which protects its seed.

2. Flower

The flower consists of five petals and five sepals, ranging in color from white to deep pink.

3. Bark

Typically plated or scaly bark, sometimes exhibiting a satiny finish, ranging from gray to reddish hues.

4. Leaf

An alternate, simple leaf, usually with a serrated edge.

3. Toxin

The bark, leaves and seeds of the tree contain cyanogenic glycosides, which are toxic to people and most animals, deer being one exception.

These trees are valued commercially for their beautiful ornamental flowers, nutritious fruit, and also for their timber. Cherry in particular is used in furniture, cabinetry and flooring. It is less costly than other hardwoods, and the best quality cherry wood is often reserved for the making of fine furniture.

<a href="https://outforia.com/types-of-cherry-trees/"><img style="width:100%;" src="https://outforia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Types-of-cherry-trees-infographics-01252022.png"></a><br>Types of Cherry Trees Infographic by <a href="https://outforia.com">Outforia</a>

Cherry Tree Types: Edible vs Ornamental

Cherry trees can be broken down into two varieties based on function, the edible and the ornamental. Flowering cherry trees chosen purely for their blossoms add charm and grace to any landscape, while the worth of edible cherries is quite obvious.

Our history holds a special place for both, from our native trees, such as the black cherry and chokecherry, to cultivated edible cherries in orchards across the US, to the wealth of imported beauties in our nation’s capital. The cherry tree is a significant presence in our country, both commercially and culturally, esteemed in its entirety for its flower, fruit, and wood.

Edible Kinds of Cherry Trees

Cherries are among the first fruits to harvest, ripening in late spring. The edible category can be further divided into sweet or sour. Whether sweet or tart, cherries have a variety of culinary uses, from pie and pastry to putting up preserves for those sweet summer reveries in the snowy midwinter.

Both sweet and tart cherries have their perks. The tartness of certain varieties comes from their higher acidity, which gives a bright flavor to cooked or baked cherry dishes. Cooking also concentrates the sweetness of the tart cherry, making it more palatable.

Sweet and tart cherries together cover the whole spectrum of cherry goodness, from the nostalgia of cherry picking and cherry pies in summertime to whole body benefits with a wide array of systemic effects.

Cherries have gained even more popularity as research has brought their potential as a superfood to light. With a list of benefits as long as your arm, you can feel free to reach up and pick a handful of these sweet beauties and literally snack to your heart’s content.

Cherry Picking

Cherry picking season typically begins in mid June. Learning how to best gather up the harvest at peak cherry perfection is the challenge. Cherry fruits ripen at different times on the tree, so picking each cherry at its precise moment of ripeness becomes a bit of an art.

Unlike some other stone fruits, cherries don’t ripen off the tree. The flesh of the cherry should be firm and brightly colored. Cherries get larger as they ripen, and their color deepens, so go for the largest, brightest cherries in each cluster. Place cherries gently in a picking basket so as not to bruise their delicate flesh.

Be sure to pick the stem if you won’t be eating the cherries right there on the spot. Leaving the stem intact gives picked cherries a longer shelf life. If the cherry is ripe, the stem should come away fairly easily. Be careful not to damage the tree by pulling forcefully.

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Best Types of Cherry Trees Variaties With Pictures

Not all cherries are created equal. Two cherry varieties top the charts. The flavor profile and health benefits of these two can’t be beat. Each has its own set of uses and benefits. The sweet cherry is best for snacking, preferably right off the branch, and the tart cherry is used in baking and preserves.

1. Bing Cherry Tree (Prunus avium)

Far and away the most popular variety of edible cherry, this sweet fruit is wonderful eaten right off the tree. Widely cultivated, this tree tops the list of over a thousand sweet cherry cultivars. Producing upwards of 50 to 100 pounds (23 to 45 kilograms) of cherries annually, this prolific cherry tree remains the standard by which all other cherries are measured.

There is more to this sweet stone fruit than meets the eye. The tree has its roots in the very beginnings of fruit farming in Oregon, and the origin of the bing cherry touches the threads of westward expansion, racism, and abolitionist history. There is mystery and more in the story behind the legacy of the bing cherry, and it‘s namesake Ah Bing.

An early spring bloomer, this type produces fragrant white flowers. Fruit ripens in mid-June. This species can sometimes be found growing as a wild cherry. The distinctive reddish bark of the tree is smooth with a satiny sheen, interspersed with fine rough stripes.

These large, luscious heart-shaped fruits have a firm purplish-red flesh, and a semi-free stone which makes them easier to pit. Whether for instant hand-picked pleasure or preserving for future enjoyment, the bing cherry is hands down the best eating cherry.

USDA zones: 5 to 8

Height: Up to 35 feet (11 meters), or 15 feet (4.6 meters) for dwarf variety

Exposure: Full sun

2. Montmorency Cherry Tree (Prunus cerasus)

This tart beauty takes its name from the Montmorency Valley of France, near Paris. The skin of the fruit is bright red and its yellow flesh has a rich tangy flavor that holds up well in cooking. It’s an ideal pie cherry. They are the top choice for baking and are often sold commercially as dried cherries.

The trees are known for their ability to produce a heavy crop every year. Their abundant white flowers ripen to fruit in late June, ready to harvest. This variety is very attractive to wildlife. To protect your harvest, cover the tree with netting before the fruit ripens.

This type likes cold climates. Two thirds of the US crop, about 90,000 tons, are grown in Michigan. Montmorency trees are self-fertile, meaning you really only need one tree for flower and fruit, but planting two or more yields a better crop. They are the premier tart cherry grown in the US.

USDA zones: 4-7

Height: Up to 24 feet (7.3 meters), or 10 feet (3 meters) for dwarf variety

Exposure: Full sun

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Edible Cherry Tree Types

Other notable varieties also enjoy wide consumption, each with their own particular uses and charms. With over a thousand cherry types, there is always more to explore. You could spend your lifetime chasing the cherry cultivar. From the sweet to sour, here’s a shortlist of edible cherries of interest.

3. Rainier Cherry Tree (Prunus avium, ‘Rainier’)

This super sweet, early-fruiting variety is a cross between the Bing and Van cherries. Fragrant pink-white blooms ripen into yellow fruit with a rosy blush, a truly beautiful fruit. The inner flesh is white, earning it the moniker “white cherry.” Rainier comes from Mount Rainier in Washington state, where this cherry originated.

The large fruit can be ready to pick as early as May. While birds will eat these cherries, they are not as attracted to them, perhaps due to their yellow color. Netting the tree deters birds. They do require an additional pollinator, but typically produce a great harvest. The fall foliage is also a big draw for these trees.

USDA zones: 5-8

Height: Up to 35 feet (11 meters)

Exposure: Full sun

4. Morello Cherry Tree (Prunus cerasus, ‘Morello’)

A centuries old variety, these sour fruits are the most popular culinary cherry in the UK. Grown throughout Europe, they are used for cooking, baking, and liqueur making. Kirsch, a well-known cherry flavored brandy, is traditionally made with the juice of morello cherries.

Self-fruiting, they are a good choice for pollinating other types of cherries. These dark cherries ripen in late June or even July from showy flowers that linger longer than most other cherry blossoms.

USDA zones: 4-9

Height: Up to 20 feet (6 meters), 10 feet (3 meters) for dwarf variety

Exposure: Full sun

5. Lapins Cherry Tree (Prunus avium, ‘Lapins’)

Semi-dwarf sweet cherry ‘Lapins’ is another popular choice, also producing a heavy crop. It does not require a pollinator, but is a good choice as a pollinator for other varieties. New to the scene, it gained popularity after its commercial release in 1980’s, eventually falling out of favor due to unreliable shipping quality.

Named after Dr. Charles Lapins, a Latvian horticulturist who developed this variety in British Columbia. A sweet cross between Van and Stella varieties, this large fruit resists cracking. Cherries ripen in early June, good for eating right off the tree or for culinary uses.

USDA zones: 5-9

Height: Up to 40 feet (12 meters)

Exposure: Full sun

Ornamental Cherry Tree Varieties

6. Yoshino Cherry Tree (Prunus x yedoensis)

Also known as the Japanese flowering cherry, it’s the most well-known blossoming cherry in the US, thanks to the gifting of trees from Tokyo to the US government and the popularity of both the national and international cherry festivals.

The black, bitter fruit is inedible to humans, but enjoyed by birds. The pink buds of the trees give an impression of a cloud of pink mist. An early bloomer, a profusion of white-pink flowers in late March to early April gives off a delicate almond fragrance.

USDA zones: 5-8

Height: Up to 50 feet (15 meters)

Exposure: Full sun to partial shade

7. Kanzan Cherry Tree (Prunus serrulata ‘Kanzan’)

Dark pink double blossoms make this one of the frilliest, showiest cherries available. Sometimes called Japanese cherry or oriental cherry, this variety is another of the two main ornamental cherries given to the US by Tokyo.

Since reaching our shores in the early 1900’s, the tree has gained in popularity and become one of the most chosen landscape cherries on the market. This is one of the more striking cherry trees, both for its full double blooms and it’s bronze to golden foliage in the fall.

USDA zones: 5-9

Height: Up to 40 feet (12 meters)

Exposure: Full sun or part shade

8. Weeping Cherry Tree (Prunus subhirtella var. ‘Pendula’)

Another commonly seen landscape choice is the weeping cherry. Its graceful boughs tumbling like a waterfall, this elegant tree provides year round appeal with its pendulous pink flowers, golden fall foliage, and bronzed bark. It’s a long-lived variety compared to the Kanzan cherry, typically surviving 40 years or more.

USDA zones: 4-9

Height: Up to 30 feet (9 meters)

Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Cherry Trees For the Birds

There are a few fruiting varieties that, while not as palatable for us, are prized by wildlife of all sorts. Both flowers and fruit are valuable food sources for pollinators and birds and small mammals.

These cherry trees dance on the border of edible and ornamental. While most of these cherries will be enjoyed by birds rather than humans, some of them do have culinary applications. Their floral displays are perhaps not as refined as the Japanese ornamentals, but they have their charm nonetheless.

9. Cherry Laurel Tree (Prunus laurocerasus)

Dark oblong evergreen leaves and fragrant bright flowers make this an attractive shrub or hedge. This non-native is also known as English laurel or common cherry laurel. The bark gives off a cherry scent when bruised.

While the flowers attract bees and other pollinators, the fruit draws the birds. Red fruit ripens to an attractive dark purple. Trees are typically pruned as hedges as high as 20 feet, but unpruned they can reach heights of 40 feet.

USDA zones: 6-9

Height: Up to 40 feet (12 meters)

Exposure: Full sun to part shade

10. Carolina Cherry Laurel Tree (Prunus caroliniana)

This native Southern evergreen shrub is often grown as a hedge. It is a rapid grower, with white flowers in the spring that contrast the dark, glossy leaves. The fresh leaves have a cherry scent when crushed. Other names include mock orange, Carolina cherry, and wild peach.

This variety was widely planted in Texas in the 50’s, however a drought early in the decade weakened many of those plantings, and many of them died due to borers. The attractive black berries present a temporary litter problem, but attract a variety of birds.

USDA zones: 7-10

Height: Up to 40 feet (12 meters)

Exposure: Full sun to part shade

11. Bird Cherry Tree (Prunus padus)

Also known as hackberry, hagberry, hogberry, black dogwood, or May Day tree, this tree produces small red cherries that turn nearly black. A favorite food of birds, the fruit is bitter and inedible to humans, though the berries have been used to make a dye for wool.

Almond-scented blossoms appear on pendulous racemes, or stalks, in April and early May. These early flowers are very important to pollinator species.

The leaves have special nectar glands on the petiole, or stem. The scent released from these glands attracts insects which feed on pests that favor the bird cherry leaf as a food source, a clever protective mechanism.

USDA zones: 3-6

Height: Up to 40 feet (12 meters)

Exposure: Full sun to part shade

12. Pin Cherry Tree (Prunus pensylvanica)

Also known as fire cherry, bird cherry, or pigeon cherry, this variety can be found in meadows and woodlands, announcing spring with its branches full of tiny white flowers. It is a rapid grower, and the appellation fire cherry comes from its use in reforestation after fires.

Growing as a shrub or small tree, it produces many small red cherries. The small red fruits are important to birds and wildlife, and although too bitter for human consumption, they can be used to make an edible pin cherry jelly.

USDA zones: 3-8

Height: Up to feet 30 (9 meters)

Exposure: Full sun to part shade

13. Chokecherry Tree (Prunus virginiana)

Commonly known as bitter-berry, Virginia bird cherry, or black chokecherry, this native grows as a shrub or small understory tree. Its aromatic flowers attract many pollinators, among them the tiger swallowtail and a variety of moths.

As with the bird cherry, the fruit of this tree is too bitter for human consumption right off the tree, but beloved by birds. This wild native cherry variety was used extensively by various tribes of Native Americans. Among its many applications, it was used as a cold remedy and a nutritious ingredient in pemmican.

USDA zones: 2-7

Height: Up to feet 30 (9 meters)

Exposure: Full sun to part shade

14. Black Cherry Tree (Prunus serotina)

Finally, the black cherry. A North American native, the black cherry, or wild cherry, lends its fragrance to the intoxicating blend of aromas in the springtime forest in late April and May. White flowers bloom in clusters on racemes.

Black cherry fruit is bitter, but it is often used in jams and jellies and to flavor brandy or whisky. The birds enjoy the small dark fruit as well, and the flowers are important for pollinators.

USDA zones: 3-9

Height: Up to 80 feet (24 meters)

Exposure: Full sun to part shade

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Forced Cherry Tree for Indoor

A considerable amount of winter cheer enters our household each year in the form of forced cherry blossoms. Branches clipped in the winter give us an early spring indoors, and it’s a wonderful way to get more enjoyment from your cherry tree if you live in a part of the country with a long winter and a short growing season.

Be aware that the twigs and leaves of cherry trees contain toxins that are harmful to people and animals. If you have small children or pets, use caution when forcing branches indoors. Make sure they are kept well out of reach.

The Beauty of Cherry Trees

Whether commercially bred or found in the forest, all of the cherry species have value. The cherry tree touches every area of our lives, as a historic emblem of our connection to foreign lands, as a resource for timber, and as a domestic food source for humans, birds, small mammals, and pollinators.

No matter the variety, the cherry tree shares its gifts. Acquaint yourself with your nearest cherry tree and you won’t be disappointed. Feed your soul with a little time spent viewing cherry blossoms in the spring, and feed your body with nutritious edible cherries in the summer. Consider finding a favorite and adding it to your own yard for years of cherry enjoyment!