The bird cherry is distributed throughout most of Europe, extending northward as far as central Sweden and eastward to the Yenisei River. It grows mainly in moist situations alongside lakes and ponds and on alluvial deposits; alongside streams, it may be found at elevations over 1000 metres. The bird cherry is a small tree 5 to 15 metres high, with a broad crown and pendent branches.

The bark is grey-black, thin, and covered with small warts. When peeled from the twig it gives off an unpleasant scent reminiscent of bitter almonds - a characteristic of this species. The fragrant white flowers in pendent racemes open in May. They are succeeded in July by black, astringent drupes which are eaten by birds. The bird cherry requires partial shade, and often forms the lower stratum of damp woods. It requires comparatively rich and moist soil to grow really well. The wood is of good quality but of little importance because of the tree’s small size.

The white mulberry requires partial shade and warm climate, Europe’s wine-growing regions providing the best conditions for its growth. It is damaged by frost, but has good powers of regeneration by suckers. It is cultivated in parks as a specimen tree, and is also good in tree avenues, and for planting in hedges.

At one time it was grown in gardens as a fruit tree. The related black mulberry (Mores nigra L.), with dark red fruits, is a native of Iran and Afghanistan. The false acacia is a native of North America, where it grows in mixed broad-leaved woods from Pennsylvania to Georgia and Oklahoma. It was named after the French botanist Jean Robin, who introduced it into Europe in 1601.

The trunk is generally crooked, and the crown has pendent branches. The shoots are thin, the buds small and ovoid. The white (lowers, borne in a loose, upright raceme, appear about a week later than those of the bird cherry. The fruit is a black, spherical ovoid drupe, ripening in late July, with a small smooth stone.

For this reason, and because of its wide-spreading root system, it is often used for erosion control on slopes, embankments and sand dunes. In warm, wine-growing regions, it is also grown in forest stands. The flowers yield a rich harvest for bees, and the wood is of good quality.