Silverberry is an arborescent thorny shrub possessing a whole series of beneficial properties used in different spheres of human activity. Musical instruments are made from its wood, leaves and bark are suitable for tanning and dyeing leather, and glue is prepared from the gum. It is an excellent honey plant. From silverberry flowers, bees collect golden honey with a pleasant delicate aroma and superb taste. It does not crystallize for a prolonged time.
Beneficial and medicinal substances are contained in silverberry fruits. A preparation called 'pshatin', obtained from the mealy part of the fruits, is used for gastrointestinal tract diseases, as a substitute for astringents, and also as a gargle for inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity; for the same purposes, 'lokhtan', representing crushed fruit pulp, and 'lokhpektan', a powder of the whole fruit, have been proposed. Alkaloids, as well as tannins, coloring substances, and gum, are contained in the bark of trunks and branches. The fruits are used for food. They are eaten raw as a treat, made into compotes, kissels, and jam.
Cherry silverberry originates from temperate Asia: China, Japan, and Korea. In Russia, it is cultivated mainly on Sakhalin, where it was introduced by the Japanese before the war. It is a monoecious deciduous shrub, rarely a tree, up to 1.5-2 m (5-6.6 ft) in height. The shoots are often with small thorns. The leaves are elliptical at the top, entire. The flowers are small, bisexual, elongated, with a strong aroma. The fruits are oblong-oval (1.5-2 cm / 0.6-0.8 in). The fruits hang on thin long pedicels. Inside the fruit is an oblong stone with a grooved surface, surrounded by pulp. Fruit coloration changes as they ripen from green to yellow and red; once ripe, the fruits do not drop. The period from pollination to fruit ripening is about 45 days.
Vegetation begins in the second half of April, flowering takes place in mid to late May, fruit ripening in late June to early July, and the dormancy period can be very short (30 days). Given appropriate temperature conditions, the plant develops as an evergreen. The first two years after planting it grows slowly, and after that up to 0.5-0.8 m (1.6-2.6 ft) per year. When grown from seeds, fruiting occurs in the fifth to sixth year; from layers, in the third to fifth year. Winter hardiness is comparatively weak. It is light-loving and tolerates shading poorly.
The root system is heavily branched (extending 1-1.5 m / 3.3-5 ft beyond the projection of the crown), situated mainly in the upper soil layer. An important biological feature of the root system is the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen via root nodules. The fruits are suitable for raw consumption and for preserves, taste like apple, grape, and cherry, and contain many vitamins. It is a good honey plant.