Cerapadus

Cerapadus 

an interspecies hybrid of the ground cherry (Cerasus fruticosa) or the Ideal variety of cherry with the Amur chokecherry (Padus maackii). The hybrid was developed by I. V. Michurin.

Cerapadus No. 1, a hybrid of the steppe cherry and the Amur chokecherry, reaches 1.8 m in height and is densely foliated. The tree has a compressed crown, and the bark on its trunk is chestnut-brown with a cinnamon tinge. The fruits, slightly flattened spheres weighing about 1 g, are dark red and shiny. They have a thin, elastic skin and are borne in racemes of four or five on a single peduncle (as in the chokecherry). They ripen in the first half of August (Tambov Oblast, RSFSR). Their inedible pulp is juicy and sour. The hybrid is used in the selective breeding of cherries.

Cerapadus Maximus, a hybrid of the Ideal variety of cherry and the Amur chokecherry, is a small tree measuring 1.5 m. tall. The crown is broadly oval and compressed, and the bark on the trunk and branches is chestnut-cinnamon with scattered grayish white spots. The fruits, which weigh about 1.5 g, are spherical with a slight compression on top. Their coloration is dark red, almost black. The shiny, thick skin peels easily. The fruits are in racemes of three to five. Ripening occurs in the first half of August. The edible flesh is dark red (almost black), dense, very juicy, and tart. The red juice is an effective dyeing agent.

Sweet Cerapadus, another hybrid of the Ideal variety of cherry and the Amur chokecherry, is a tree measuring 5 m tall. It has highly developed aboveground and root systems, and a dense crown that is compactly compressed and spherical. The fruits, which are spherical and slightly compressed on the side of the peduncle, weigh about 1 g. They are almost black, with a lacquerlike shine; their thin, elastic skin peels easily. The fruits are in racemes and mature in the second half of July. The black pulp is juicy and tart; the juice is dark red. Both Cerapadus Maximus and Sweet Cerapadus are very important in developing sweet frost-resistant cherry varieties. All the hybrids are resistant to frost, pests, and disease; they do not suffer from gummosis. The plants are cultivated in the collection nurseries of research institutions and in home orchards in cherry-growing zones.