Plant · P-668

Mahleb

Prunus mahaleb

Mahleb is a small deciduous cherry from dry hillsides and open woods across Europe, temperate Asia and North Africa, tolerant of drought and lime but unable to handle waterlogged ground. Its dried seed kernel is the spice mahleb, used to flavour breads and pastries, though the fruit and leaves also contain compounds that break down into cyanide in large amounts. Birds strip its heavy crops of small black drupes and spread the seed widely, so it has naturalised well beyond its native range and needs siting away from fence lines and watercourses to stay in bounds. It also serves as a common rootstock for cherry orchards, producing a tree about three-quarters the size of one grown on Mazzard.