Cherries are members of the Rosaceae family, subfamily Prunoideae. They occupy the Cerasus subgenus within Prunus, being fairly distinct from their stone fruit relatives plums, apricots, peaches, and almonds. Prunus avium L. is the Sweet Cherry, and Prunus cerasus L. the Sour, Pie, or Tart Cherry. P. avium originated in the area between the Black and Caspian seas of Asia Minor. Birds may have carried it to Europe prior to human civilization. Cultivation probably began with Greeks, and was perpetuated by Romans, where it was believed to be an essential part of the Legionnaires diet this lead to the spread throughout Europe. There is good evidence suggesting that P. cerasus, a tetraploid, arose from a natural cross between P. avium and P. fruticosa Ground cherry. The geographic ranges of the two species overlap in northern Iran and Turkmenistan, which is the center of origin of sour cherry. From there, sour cherry followed a similar course to Europe as sweet cherry, and ultimately came to North America with English settlers. It is more tolerant of the humid, rainy eastern conditions, and therefore proliferated there more than sweets, where it is still cultivated today in greatest numbers. Low monetary returns make sour cherry a less attractive investment than sweet cherry. Thus, it has been planted in western states only to a limited extent. Michigan, the leading producer, grows sour cherries along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, where the moderating influence of the lake on winter and spring temperatures is beneficial to production.

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