Bark, wood, flowers, leaves and seeds are poisonous
The bird cherry is partially poisonous. Its 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 hydrogen cyanide. Both substances are considered toxic to humans and animals.
also read
- Bird cherry wood - characteristics and uses
- This is how you recognize the leaf of the bird cherry
- What is the web moth doing on the bird cherry?
The wood, leaves and flowers of the bird cherry are just as poisonous. Only the web moth is not impressed by it ...
But the bird cherry is fair: its poisonous plant parts smell strongly and unpleasantly putrid and vine-like. 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
In contrast, the pulp of the bird cherry is edible. It's worth trying the pulp once. Not necessarily raw, as it is not a tasty delicacy in its raw state. But when processed, it can be tasty. The fruits are suitable for. B. 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 chance of accidentally swallowing it is low.
Tips & Tricks
The pulp of the bird cherry fruits tastes less delicious with its high bitter content. But it has the advantage that it reduces fever and helps against rheumatism.
KKF
