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Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet Prunus avium and the sour Prunus cerasus. Cerasus contains species that are typically called cherries. Bush cherries are characterized by having three winter buds per axil. They used to be included in Prunus subg. Cerasus, but phylogenetic research indicates they should be a section of Prunus subg. Cherries were introduced into England at Teynham, near Sittingbourne in Kent, by order of Henry VIII, who had tasted them in Flanders.

Trades people leased or purchased land to plant orchards and produce gardens, “Certificate of Cornelis van Tienhoven that he had found 12 apple, 40 peach, 73 cherry trees, 26 sage plants. Sour cherries require no pollenizer, while few sweet varieties are self-fertile. A cherry tree will take three to four years once it is planted in the orchard to produce its first crop of fruit, and seven years to attain full maturity. Like most temperate-latitude trees, cherry trees require a certain number of chilling hours each year to break dormancy and bloom and produce fruit. The number of chilling hours required depends on the variety. Because of this cold-weather requirement, no members of the genus Prunus can grow in tropical climates. Cherries have a short growing season and can grow in most temperate latitudes.

In the Southern Hemisphere, cherries are usually at their peak in late December and are widely associated with Christmas. Burlat’ is an early variety which ripens during the beginning of December, ‘Lapins’ ripens near the end of December, and ‘Sweetheart’ finish slightly later. Generally, the cherry can be a difficult fruit tree to grow and keep alive. See cherry blossom and Prunus for ornamental trees.

In 2020, world production of sweet cherries was 2. Other major producers of sweet cherries were the United States and Chile. World production of sour cherries in 2020 was 1. Major commercial cherry orchards in West Asia are in Turkey, Iran, Syria, Azerbaijan, Lebanon, and Israel. Major commercial cherry orchards in Europe are in Turkey, Italy, Spain and other Mediterranean regions, and to a smaller extent in the Baltic States and southern Scandinavia.

In the United States, most sweet cherries are grown in Washington, California, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Michigan. 300 hours or less are Minnie Royal and Royal Lee, requiring cross-pollinization, whereas the cultivar, Royal Crimson, is self-fertile. In Australia, cherries are grown in all the states except for the Northern Territory. The major producing regions are located in the temperate areas within New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. Western Australia has limited production in the elevated parts in the southwest of the state. Key commercial varieties in order of seasonality include ‘Empress’, ‘Merchant’, ‘Supreme’, ‘Ron’s seedling’, ‘Chelan’, ‘Ulster’, ‘Van’, ‘Bing’, ‘Stella’, ‘Nordwunder’, ‘Lapins’, ‘Simone’, ‘Regina’, ‘Kordia’ and ‘Sweetheart’. New varieties are being introduced, including the late season ‘Staccato’ and early season ‘Sequoia’.

The Australian Cherry Breeding program is developing a series of new varieties which are under testing evaluation. The New South Wales town of Young is called the “Cherry Capital of Australia” and hosts the National Cherry Festival. Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. The cherry kernels, accessible by chewing or breaking the hard-shelled cherry pits, contain amygdalin, a chemical that releases the toxic compound hydrogen cyanide when ingested.