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For cherry blossoms and their cultural significance to the Japanese, see sakura.

Prunus serrulata
Japanese Cherry (Prunus serrulata)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Rosales Family: Rosaceae Subfamily: Prunoideae Genus: Prunus Species: P. serrulata
Binomial name
Prunus serrulata Lindl.

Prunus serrulata, the Japanese Cherry, also called Oriental Cherry or East Asian Cherry, is a species of Japanese ornamental cherry tree in the rose family Rosaceae.

It is a small tree with a short single trunk, with a dense crown reaching a height of about 8-12 m. The smooth bark is chestnut-brown. The simple, ovate-lanceolate leaves are arranged alternately on short petioles. Their margin is serrate or doubly serrate. At the end of autumn, the green leaves turn yellow, red or crimson.

The tree is slightly less cold-hardy than Prunus avium but generally survives and blooms anywhere peach trees will survive.

The Japanese Cherry starts flowering profusely from the first warmer days in April. The pink or white flowers grow in racemose clusters at nodes on short spurs. They are past flowering early in May.

The fruit is a small, black, globose drupe, growing in racemose clusters.

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.

There are several varieties :

• Prunus serrulata var. hupehensis (Ingram) Ingram
• Prunus serrulata var. lannesiana (Carrière) Makino - Japanese Late-flowering Cherry.
  • Prunus serrulata var. lannesiana f. alba Makino
• Prunus serrulata var. pubescens (Makino) Nakai - Hairy-leaved Mountain Cherry, Korean Mountain Cherry, Chinese Mountain Cherry.
• Prunus serrulata var. quelpaertensis Uieki - Korean Mountain Cherry
• Prunus serrulata var. serrulata - Chinese Cherry
• Prunus serrulata var. tomentella Nakai - Korean Mountain Cherry

There are numerous cultivars, varying in size and form and in color of flower and leaf.

• http://web.reed.edu/trees/TreePages/PRUN.html
• http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/trees-new/prunus_serrulata.html

• Arborist's photo: size potential for Prunus serrulata 'Shirotae' ('Mt. Fuj')