Finding and Growing Wild Cherries

Cherries that grow in wild areas rather than orchards are technically considered wild. Most of the time, it is safe to eat these wild cherries. However, there are some plant parts that are not edible. Thus, it is important to be extremely cautious when you eat fruits from wild plants.

According to Sara Ipatenco, there are different types of wild cherries.
The first one, black cherries are grown in the United States and are edible. The only downside is that you need to pit black cherries because large amounts of pits can lead to cyanide poisoning. The bark, twigs, and leaves of wild black cherry tree are toxic as well.

Bitter cherries are also edible cherries yet these taste somewhat bitter as compared to other wild cherry varieties. These can be found in the western part of the US and even as far east as Rocky Mountains. Bitter cherry plants have leaves and seeds that contain hydrogen cyanide that can cause respiratory issues if consumed in high doses.

Finally, chokecherries, or sometimes referred to as common chokecherries grow wild all over the US. Most parts of the plant are toxic including the leaves, twigs, bark, and seeds. Similar to other wild cherries, cyanide is the reason behind their toxicity. The chokecherry’s fruit part itself can be eaten but you need to pit to prevent poisoning.

Heirloom Gardener teaches you some tips on how you can identify the different wild cherries and grow them right in your very own backyard.

 https://www.heirloomgardener.com/plant-profiles/wild-summer-cherries-zm0z19uzbut