Antipka bird cherry or magalenka

Family Fabaceae. The natural range of this bird cherry extends in a fairly narrow strip from central Spain across southern Europe, through Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Central Asia to the Pamir-Alai, where it rises into the mountains up to 1900 m.

Grows in thickets of shrubs, preferring calcareous soils. The Latin name of this tree has an Arabic origin. In America there are several local names for it: "perfumed cherry" (perfumed cherry), "St. Lucie cherry" (St. Lucie cherry). It differs from other species by the structure of the inflorescence. Although it is a raceme consisting of 5-14 flowers, this raceme is so shortened and flattened that it more closely resembles a shield.

A small tree or shrub with a dense spherical crown, with dark brown bark that has a distinctive odor. Leaves nearly rounded, coarsely serrated at the edges, glossy above, light green, lighter beneath with yellowish pubescence, 9 cm long. Flowers small, white, up to 1.5 cm in diameter, gathered in small racemes up to 7 cm long. Succulent fruits up to 1 cm in diameter, which turn black as they ripen. Blooms and fruits from 9 years of age.

Has long been used in landscape architecture for creating tall hedges, as it has a dense crown and tolerates pruning well. Drought-resistant. Light-loving. In addition to seeds, it is also propagated by cuttings. Can be used in solitary and group plantings.

Has garden forms:

weeping (f. penduia) - with weeping branches;
monstrous (f. monstrosa) - with a dense spherical crown;
yellow-fruited (f. chrysocarpa) - with yellow fruits;
white-margined (f. albo-marginata) - with white-edged leaves;
variegated (f. variegata) - with mottled leaves.