Mazzard Cherry

Prunus avium

“The wild sweet cherry of Europe. Big tree, black fruit, spectacular spring bloom.”

Before anyone bred a named cultivar, there was Mazzard — the original wild sweet cherry across Europe and western Asia. It grows to 30–40 feet, puts on one of the best white spring flower shows of any tree, develops rich amber-red fall color, and produces heavy crops of small, dark, intensely sweet-tart cherries every year. The fruit is smaller than commercial varieties but the flavor is better. Birds will compete with you for it. An honest, large-scale cherry tree that earns its place in the landscape and earns fruit in the kitchen. Zone 4–8.