Prunus Cerasoides is a medium size deciduous tree and known as Himalayan wild cherry. It’s scientific name stands for Prunus Cerasoides belonging to family Rosaceae. It is a deciduous cherry tree found in East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Wild Himalayan cherry is a medium sized deciduous tree that grows up to 30 meters (98 ft.) in height. The plant prefers light sandy, moisture-retentive, medium loamy and heavy clay soils and needs well drained condition. Bark is brownish-grey, smooth and peels off in thin shining horizontal stripes exposing a shining copper colored surface. Leaves are conduplicate in bud, elliptic or ovate lanceolate, 3.5-8.5 cm long, apex acuminate, both surfaces are glabrous, dark glossy, shining above, finely simple or double serrate, with gland tip teeth. Petioles are 1.2-2 cm long, stipules are long and subulate. Flowering normally takes place from October and lasts up to mid-December and is pollinated by Insect. Fertile flowers are followed by ovoid fruit 1.2-1.5 cm long, about 15 mm in diameter, glabrous, shining, supported by base of calyx tube and contain one large seed. Fruits are initially yellow which turns to red as it ripens.

Juice of the bark is applied externally to treat backaches. Similarly, Bark paste is applied over the forehead for hemicranias and is also used as plaster for fractured bone, painful outgrowth below lounge, burn, indigestion, fever, foot and mouth diseases and dislocations. Paste of bark also used in wound healing. Stems and branches are used for the treatment of gravel, kidney stones, asthma, thirst, leucoderma, leprosy and vomiting. In larger concentrations, cyanide can cause gasping, weakness, excitement, pupil dilation, spasms, convulsions, coma and respiratory failure leading to death.