Prunus serrulata听or听Japanese cherry听is a听听of cherry tree that grows naturally in听,听, and听, and it also refers to a听听produced from听, a cherry tree听听in Japan.听Historically, the Japanese have developed many cultivars by selective breeding of cherry trees, which are produced by the complicated crossing of several wild species, and they are used for ornamental purposes all over the world. Of these, the cultivars produced by complex interspecific hybrids based on the Oshima cherry are also known as the听Cerasus听Sato-zakura Group.
Varieties and Form
Classification
The classification of cherry blossoms varies from country to country and from period to period. For example, in the Japanese classification,听P. serrulata听Lindl. f.听albida,听P. serrulata听var.听spontanea,听P. serrulata听var.听pubescens听补苍诲听P. serrulata听Lindl. var.听sachalinensis, the听听补苍诲听听constituting this听, are classified as independent species because of their genetic, morphological, and flowering time differences.
There are several听听补苍诲听听(or species):
- Prunus serrulata听f.听albida听(syn.听). Japan.
- Prunus serrulata听var.听spontanea听or听Prunus serrulata听f.听spontanea听(syn.听). Japan.
- Some books say that听P. jamasakura听grows wild in China and Korea, but听听补苍诲听听were mistaken for听P. jamasakura.
- Prunus serrulata听var.听pubescens听(syn.听). Japan, Korea, China.
- Prunus serrulata听var.听sachalinensis听(syn.听). Japan, Korea, eastern Russia, China.
Trees and flowers
Prunus serrulata听is a small听听听with a short single trunk, with a dense crown reaching a height of 7.9鈥�11.9 metres (26鈥�39听ft). The smooth听听is chestnut-brown, with prominent horizontal听. The听听are arranged alternately, simple, ovate-lanceolate, 5鈥�13听cm long and 2.5鈥�6.5听cm broad, with a short听听and a serrate or doubly serrate margin. At the end of autumn, the green leaves turn yellow, red or crimson.
The听听are produced in clusters of two to five together at nodes on short spurs in spring at the same time as the new leaves appear; they are white to pink, with five petals in the wild type tree. Its听, the听sakuranbo, has differences from the听听in that sakuranbo are smaller in size and more bitter in taste; the sakuranbo is a听听black听听8鈥�10听mm in diameter. Owing to their bitter taste, the sakuranbo should not be eaten whole, raw; the seed inside should be removed and the fleshy part preserved.[]
Because of its evolution, the fruit developed merely as a small, ovoid cherry-like fruit, but it doesn't develop past a small amount of fleshy mass around the seed; as听P. serrulata听was bred for its flowers, its fruits do not enlarge the way cherry varieties bred for their fruit do.[]
Cultivars
Main article:听
Among the听Prunus serrulata, many听听derived from Japanese endemic听, are widely grown as a flowering听, both in Japan and throughout the temperate regions of the world. Numerous cultivars have been selected, many of them with double flowers with the听听replaced by additional petals. According to an unprecedented and detailed DNA study conducted by the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute in 2014, many of the cherry blossom cultivars used for听听around the world were derived from the complicated hybridization of wild species such as听,听,听,听,听听补苍诲听听with the Oshima cherry, a endemic species of Japan.
As the population increased in the southern听听during the听, Oshima cherries, which were originally from听听Island, were brought into听听(the main island of Japan) to be cultivated and brought to听, the capital of Japan. In the听, Oshima cherries were crossed with听P. jamasakura, and cultivars of Sato-zakura group such as 'Fugenzo' and 'Mikurumakaishi' began to appear. In the听, various double-flowered cultivars were produced and planted on the banks of rivers, on Buddhist temples, in听听and in听听gardens in urban areas such as听, and the common people living in urban areas could enjoy them. In the documents at that time, more than 200 cultivars of cherry trees were recorded, and currently known cultivars of cherry trees such as听听are also mentioned.
In American classification, these cultivars are classified as听Prunus serrulata听var.听lannesiana听or听Prunus serrulata听var.听pendula听(syn.听Prunus lannesiana). However, detailed DNA studies revealed that they were complex interspecific hybrids with the Oshima cherry, so they are classified as the听Prunus听Sato-zakura group听or听Cerasus听Sato-zakura group.
'Kanzan' is the most popular Japanese cherry tree cultivar for cherry blossom viewing in Europe and North America. Compared with听, a representative Japanese cultivar, it is popular because it grows well even in cold regions, is small and easy to plant in the garden, and has large flowers and deep pink petals. In the city of听, there is a row of cherry trees where 300 kanzan trees were planted in the late 1980s. In Western countries, 'Pink Perfection' and 'Royal Burgundy' originated in 'Kanzan' have been created.
In some cultivars, the听听changes like a leaf and loses its fertility, and for example,听听补苍诲听, can only be propagated by artificial methods such as听听补苍诲听.
In cultivation in Europe and North America, it is usually grafted on to听听roots; the cultivated forms rarely bear fruit. It is viewed as part of the Japanese custom of听.
Some important听听include:
- . = 'Sekiyama' or 'Kwanzan'.听Cerasus听Sato-zakura Group 'Sekiyama' Koidz
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- Flowers pink, double; young leaves bronze-coloured at first, becoming green.听.
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- Fastigiate cherry, with columnar habit; flowers semi-double, pale pink. Award of Garden Merit.
- 听Also known as 'Kenrokuen-kumagai'.听Crasus听Sato-zakura Group 'Choshu-hizakura'
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- Large flowers and red leaves open at the same time. In a DNA study published in 2014, 'Choshu-hizakura' and 'Kenrokuen-magai' were found to be the same clone.
- . = 'Shiro-fugen'.听Cerasus听Sato-zakura Group 'Albo-rosea' Makino
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- Flowers double, deep pink at first, fading to pale pink. In Japanese,听fugen听refers to听听补苍诲听zo听refers to an elephant, and the origin of the name comes from the fact that the two听, which look like leaves, were likened to the tusks of a white elephant on which Samantabhadra rides.听Award of Garden Merit.
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- Cheal's Weeping Cherry. Stems weeping; flowers double, pink. Tends to be short-lived.
- .听Cerasus听Sato-zakura Group 'Hisakura' Koehne
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- Flowers double, pale pink at first, fading to white. The name comes from the fact that only one pistil is changed like a leaf, and听ichi (涓�)听means 'one' and听yo (钁�)听means' leaf'. In the Japanese climate, it is one of the cultivars that are likely to become the largest tree among the double-flowered cherry trees derived from Oshima cherry.听Award of Garden Merit.
- . Mt. Fuji Cherry.听Crasus听Sato-zakura Group 'Shirotae' Koidz
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- Very low, broad crown with nearly horizontal branching; flowers pure white, semi-double.听Award of Garden Merit.
- .听Cerasus听Sato-zakura Group 'Taihaku' Ingram
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- Great White Cherry. Flowers single, white, very large (up to 8听cm diameter); young leaves bronze-coloured at first, becoming green.听By the beginning of the 20th century it had already ceased to exist in Japan, but听, an English man who had imported it from Japan before then, sent it back to Japan in 1932.听Award of Garden Merit.
- . = 'Grandiflora',听P. serrulata听f.听grandiflora听Wagner.听Cerasus听Sato-zakura Group 'Grandiflora' A. Wagner
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- Green cerry Cherry. Flowers semi-double, cream-white or pale yellow. Young leaves light bronzy-green. Fall leaf color can be purple or rusty-red.听'Ukon' was developed in the Edo period. Award of Garden Merit.