Anyone who sees the fruit of the bird cherry for the first time will probably call it poisonous and leave it to the birds as a food source. But are they actually poisonous? And what about the other parts of the plant?
Bark, wood, flowers, leaves and seeds are poisonous
The bird cherry is partly poisonous. Their bark and seeds in particular contain high doses of cyanogenic glycosides. These include amygdalin and purasin, among others. These decompose into bitter almond oil and hydrocyanic acid. Both substances are considered toxic to humans and animals.
Equally poisonous are the wood, the leaves and the blossoms of the bird cherry. Only the spider moth is not impressed by this…
But the bird cherry is fair: its poisonous parts of the plant smell strongly and unpleasantly putrid and vinegary. They are less tempting to eat. For this reason, poisoning with these parts of the plant is rather unlikely. They also taste extremely bitter, which should give the sense of taste a warning signal.
The pulp is edible
On the other hand, the flesh of the bird cherry is edible. It is worth trying the pulp once. Not necessarily raw, as it is not a tasty delicacy in its raw state. But in the processed state it can taste good. The fruits are suitable for for:
- juices
- liqueur
- jam
- jelly
- for dyeing wool
The fruits ripen from July and can be harvested until September. They are small, spherical, shiny and black in color. The poisonous seed it contains is large and the chances of accidentally swallowing it are low.
tips and tricks
The pulp of the fruit of the bird cherry tastes less delicious with its high bitter content. But it has the advantage that it reduces fever and helps against rheumatism.
KKF