Kohler's Medizinal-Pflanzen in naturgetreuen Abbildungen mit kurz erlauterndem Texte :.Gera-Untermhaus :Fr. Eugen Kohler,[1883-1914].biodiversitylibrary.org/page/303634
2011-05-07 Burgenland, district Mattersburg (Kogelberg, 222 msm Quadrant 8264/4).German name: SteinweichselWild occurrence, no cultivar.For cultivation see here.Many thanks to Georg Schramayr for introducing this species:This branch shows a characteristic feature of growth of Prunus mahaleb: of a year's new growth, there will be only short branches at the beginning, only at the end of a year's new growth side-branches will grow longer. This gives them a peculiar kind of T-shape, and if you know what to look for you can recognise this species even from a long distance - while if you don't you could even mistake the leaves for some pear.This feature is particularly well-developed on parts of the tree exposed to full sun; in more shady places it is less developed as there even the 'younger' side-branches have a tendency of growing longer (towards the light).Possibly this peculiarity is also a reason why they're cultivated for wooden sticks (I should have asked Georg Schramayr then and there, but didn't think of it then); however, the main reason seems to be that Prunus mahaleb is strong in Cumarin which is poisonous (and products from this tree even are prohibited for sale in some countries!), but considered aromatic in small doses.
2012-09-25 Vienna XI. district - SimmeringRipe fruit. German name: Schlehdorn, Schlehe, (Austrian - dialect) SchlehIch habe heute Schleh nicht nur fotografiert, sondern gepflckt - und zu Marmelade verarbeitet (lecker!), roh genossen sind sie sehr sauer. Idealerweise sollte man sie nach dem ersten Frost ernten: es war zwar schon einige Male sehr frisch in der Frh, Frost haben diese aber noch nicht gesehen. Bis nach dem Frost kann man in Zeiten der Klimaerwrmung aber kaum noch warten (denn die Frchte werden auch von Vgeln geschtzt).
2013-04-15 Lower Austria, district Schwechat (170 msm Quadrant 7864/4).Spring finally - Prunus, at last, is flowering fully! They're late, they should have begun flowering a fortnight ago at least (here in Vienna oftentimes even by end of march, or at least early in april).Prunus is one of the markers of 'first spring' ('Erstfrhling' in German); previously only (mainly) early spring plants (mainly geophytes) are flowering. Extraordinary heavy comebacks of winter in march and april delayed spring this year.Endlich Frhling - die Prunus-Vollblte hat begonnen! Wir sind spt dran: blicherweise beginnt die 14 Tage frher (hier in Wien oft schon Ende Mrz oder doch zumindest Anfang April).Die Prunus-Blte ist eine der Zeigerpflanzen fr den sogenannten "Erstfrhling", mit dem der Frhling erst so richtig beginnt - bisher haben (fast) nur die Vorfrhlingsblher (insbes. Geophyten) geblht. Die spten Wintereinbrche im Mrz und April haben den Frhlingsbeginn heuer so stark verzgert.
2011-05-07 Burgenland, district Mattersburg (Kogelberg, 245 msm Quadrant 8264/4).German name: SteinweichselWild growth at the fence which the farmer left, and cut higher up (because of the fence): ususally, Prunus mahaleb will be cut fairly low on the stem because it is more convenient in the third and fourth year of cultivation even though you've got to stoop in the first year to reach the branches - here, on the fence, they're convenient for working in the first and second year but after that you can't easily reach up to the top.See remarks here about cultivation.