Prunus serrulata or Japanese cherry is a species of cherry tree that grows wild in Japan, China, Korea and Vietnam. The term also refers to a cultivar produced from Prunus speciosa (Oshima cherry), a cherry tree endemic in Japan. 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 Cerasus 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, P. serrulata Lindl. f. albida, P. serrulata var. spontanea, P. serrulata var. pubescens and P. serrulata Lindl. var. sachalinensis, the varieties and form constituting this species, are classified as independent species because of their genetic, morphological, and flowering time differences.
There are several varieties and form (or species):
- Prunus serrulata f. albida (syn. Prunus speciosa). Japan.
- Prunus serrulata var. spontanea or Prunus serrulata f. spontanea (syn. Prunus yamasakura). Japan.
:Some books say that P. yamasakura grows wild in China and Korea, but P. leveilleana and P. sargentii were mistaken for P. yamasakura.
- Prunus serrulata var. sachalinensis (syn. Prunus sargentii). Japan, Korea, eastern Russia, China.
Trees and flowers
Prunus serrulata is a small deciduous tree with a short single trunk, with a dense crown reaching a height of . The smooth bark is chestnut-brown, with prominent horizontal lenticels. The leaves are arranged alternately, simple, ovate-lanceolate, 5–13 cm long and 2.5–6.5 cm broad, with a short petiole and a serrate or doubly serrate margin. At the end of autumn, the green leaves turn yellow, red or crimson.
In some cultivars, the pistil changes like a leaf and loses its fertility, and for example, 'Fugenzo' and 'Ichiyo', can only be propagated by artificial methods such as grafting and cutting.
In cultivation in Europe and North America, it is usually grafted on to Prunus avium roots; the cultivated forms rarely bear fruit. It is viewed as part of the Japanese custom of Hanami.
Some important cultivars include:
- 'Kanzan'. = 'Sekiyama' or 'Kwanzan'. Cerasus Sato-zakura Group 'Sekiyama' Koidz
::Flowers pink, double; young leaves bronze-coloured at first, becoming green. Award of Garden Merit.
- 'Amanogawa'.
::Fastigiate cherry, with columnar habit; flowers semi-double, pale pink.
::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. Award of Garden Merit.
- 'Taihaku'. Cerasus Sato-zakura Group 'Taihaku' Ingram Award of Garden Merit.
- 'Ukon'. = 'Grandiflora', P. serrulata f. grandiflora Wagner. Cerasus Sato-zakura Group 'Grandiflora' A. Wagner 'Ukon' was developed in the Edo period. Award of Garden Merit.
Gallery
<gallery>
|File:Prunus serrulata 'Kanzan' 03.JPG|Buds on cultivar 'Kanzan'
File:Prunus serrulata 2005 spring 018.jpg|P. serrulata flowers
File:PrunusSerrulataBark.jpg|Bark showing lenticels
File:PrunusSerrulataLeaf.jpg|Leaf close up
File:Yoshitoshi The Spirit of the Komachi Cherry Tree.jpg|Kurozome, the tree spirit of the Japanese Cherry Tree
File:Prunus serrulata - flowers close-up.jpg|Cultivar flower close up
File:Prunus serrulata1.jpg|Prunus serrulata – Cherry blossoms
File:Cherry trees in autumn.jpg|Leaves in autumn
File:2014-10-30 09 53 30 Kanzan Cherry foliage during autumn along Terrace Boulevard in Ewing, New Jersey.JPG|Typical autumn foliage
File:Ukon.JPG|'Ukon' (Prunus lannesiana Wilson cv. 'Grandiflora')
</gallery>
References
Further reading
- Rushforth, K. (1999). Trees of Britain and Europe. Collins .
- Flora of China: Cerasus serrulata
- NC State University: Prunus serrulata
- Arborist's photo: size potential for Prunus serrulata 'Shirotae' ('Mt. Fuji')