The North Star cherry is a

sour cherry ''Prunus cerasus'' (sour cherry, tart cherry, or dwarf cherry) is a species of ''Prunus'' in the subgenus '' Cerasus'' ( cherries), native to much of Europe and southwest Asia. It is closely related to the sweet cherry (''Prunus avium''), but ...

tree. A

dwarf Dwarf or dwarves may refer to: Common uses *Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore * Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...

cultivar, it typically grows 8 to 10 feet tall. Both the skin and flesh are a deep red. The North Star is excellent for baking, and makes superb wine. Developed by the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

, (the "North Star State"), it is self- pollinizing (meaning only one tree is necessary). Cold-resistant, it is a heavy producer of

mahogany Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Unive ...

-red, medium-sized fruit. In recent years, it has become a popular cherry variety for yards and gardens, as well as home cooking.

References

Cherry cultivars Sour cherries {{Minnesota-stub