Cherry

Available for over a year

In many countries, cherries are there just to look pretty - a short party trick trotted out once a year which everyone loves and coos at, but then its got to be kept the rest of the year too. True, it has unrivalled spring blossoms, a truly stunning beauty, especially in large numbers. It has much-prized wood and fruit, both of which have a long British pedigree, yet man and global warming have removed 90 per cent of UK cherry trees since 1930. In other countries (Japan especially) it is a sacred tree as a flowering cherry, but the fruit has been monopolised by a few countries - Turkey and the USA especially. Apart from fruit, cherry trees are prized for their swirling, eye-ridden, colourful hardwood which is amongst the most prized for cabinetry and furniture making, and medicinally they can cure gout, fever and help us sleep. Producer - Turan Ali A Bona Broadcasting production for BBC Radio 3.