Turkey is the largest producer of

cherries in the world - with annual

harvests of over four hundred

thousand tonnes.

With the United States

coming a close second.

If the bark on the Cherry tree is

wounded it produces a gum like

substance which seals the bark and

stops infection from fungus and insects.

The Cherry tree is deciduous and

can grow to a maximum height of

32 metres with diameters of

long established trees reaching

up to 1.5 metres.

In young trees as in the photograph

the bark is quite smooth but as

the tree ages the bark is more

fissured and darker.

The growing season for cherries is

very short with crops being available

in the summer.

Two varieties of cherries are

available: the sweet cherry is eaten as a

fruit and the sour cherry is generally

used for cooking.

In Japan many of the flowering

Cherry trees do not bear fruit,

the flowers have a tinge of pale

pink but the flower itself is almost

a pure white.

Unfortunately they are fairly short

lived with the flowers blooming and

falling within a week, the leaves

follow the flowers.

There is a custom in Japan called

Hanami when people are

encouraged to picnic under these

stunning trees.