Cherry with a secret power
This afternoon I paused to ogle a tree covered with bursts of fluffy white fingers. Closer up, I discovered masses of densely packed white flowers dangling from slender terminal racemes. Called prunus grayana, or Gray’s bird cherry, this pretty lady comes from Japan and is one of several sour cherry varieties thriving in Minnesota. It was named after Asa Gray the 19th century American botanist, a buddy of Charles Darwin, who pioneered the field of plant biogeography and was an early advocate of theistic evolution.
“There is nothing more powerful than a woman who cannot be defined; who says you can’t be both sunshine and cyanide?”
s.r.w
In Japan the Gray’s bird cherry flower buds and fruit are salted and eaten, appreciated for their pungent flavor. But please don’t try this at home! All members of this genus contain a substance that breaks down to form hydrogen cyanide which, in tiny amounts, can stimulate respiration and improve digestion. It is also claimed to be of benefit in the treatment of cancer. Too much, however, and it can cause respiratory failure and even death.
Look, enjoy, but don’t eat!
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