Prunus mahaleb L.
Prunus mahaleb
Prunus mahaleb, also known as the mahaleb cherry or St. Lucie cherry, is a deciduous tree or large shrub native to central and southern Europe, Iran, and parts of central Asia. It grows to a height of 2–10 meters (rarely up to 12 meters) with a trunk diameter of up to 40 centimeters. The tree is cultivated for its fragrant seeds, which are used as a spice. The leaves are ovate to cordate, pointed with serrate edges, and glabrous. The flowers are fragrant, pure white, small, with a diameter of 8–20 millimeters, and arranged in racemes. The fruit is a small cherry-like drupe with a very bitter flavor.
Details
Rosales
Rosaceae
Prunus
The seeds of Prunus mahaleb contain chemical constituents such as coumarin, which has anti-inflammatory, sedative, and vasodilation effects. The bark, wood, and seeds also contain coumarin.
The seeds of Prunus mahaleb are used as a spice known as mahleb, which has a fragrant smell and a taste comparable to bitter almonds with cherry notes. It is used in small quantities to sharpen sweet foods such as Turkish sweet-bread çörek, Greek sweet-bread tsoureki, and Armenian sweet-bread chorak. The wood is hard and used in cabinet-making and for pipes. The bark, wood, and seeds have medicinal properties due to the presence of coumarin.
mid spring
2–10 meters (rarely up to 12 meters)
pure white
Prunus mahaleb occurs in thickets and open woodland on dry slopes, in central Europe at altitudes up to 1,700 meters, and in highlands at 1,200–2,000 meters in southern Europe. It has become naturalized in some temperate areas, including Europe north of its native range (north to Great Britain and Sweden), and locally in Australia and the United States.
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Pannon Flora Ltd. was founded on December 13, 1999, by Gábor Janik, who retains 95% ownership. Janik holds an MSc in Horticulture from the University of Horticultural Sciences (1986) and an Advanced Professional English Certification from the College of International Trade (1990). The company specializes in bird feed production and export, primarily serving markets in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK, alongside cultivating and distributing imported/exported horticultural seeds. It maintains exclusive partnerships with JOEUN Seed (South Korea) and Takii Europe (Japan), a leader in professional seed breeding and production. Pannon Flora collaborates with certification bodies such as NÉBIH (National Food Chain Safety Office), MERT Kontroll, and SGS Hungary to ensure compliance and quality. The company works with approximately 400 Hungarian growers, ranging from small-scale producers (under 5 hectares) to mid-sized farms and large-scale agricultural enterprises. This profile emphasizes agribusiness expertise, technical partnerships, and operational scalability tailored to international client needs.
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