Bird cherry (lat. Prunus padus), or common bird cherry, or bird cherry.
A sapling, tree or large shrub 0.6–10 m high, the crown is elongated and dense. The bark is matte, black-gray, with whitish lenticels. Young branches are olive or cherry red.
The leaves are simple, alternate, ovate-lanceolate or oblong-elliptic, 3-10 cm long, glabrous, thin, on short petioles, pointed, sharply serrate along the edge.
The flowers are white (less often pinkish), collected in long thick drooping racemes 8-12 cm long, with a strong scent, on pedicels.
The fruit is a spherical black drupe with a diameter of 8-10 mm, sweet, highly astringent. The stone is round-ovoid. The fruit is initially green, heart-shaped, dense; as it ripens, the skin turns red and then turns black. The flesh of ripe fruits is green and turns dark purple when exposed to air.
Blooms in May - June. The fruits ripen in July - August. It blooms profusely every year, but does not bear fruit every year, as the flowers are damaged by late spring frosts.
It is not very demanding on soil, it grows on any soil, but it looks most impressive where it is planted on well-moistened sandy loam. It is not susceptible to drought, tolerates temporary flooding and prolonged rains, can grow in the shade, but feels much better in an open sunny meadow.