Cherries

Wild forms of both the sweet cherry (Prunus avium) and the sour cherry (P. cerasus) grow along the eastern Mediterranean, especially in southeastern Europe and Asia Minor, the regions of origin for both species. The species name for sweet cherry, avium, refers to birds, the agents largely responsible for the distribution of the seed and therefore the spread of both species. Hybrids of the two species, commonly called Duke cherries, are also cultivated to a limited extent but are not significant commercially in the United States.