''Prunus serrulata'' or Japanese cherry is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of cherry tree that grows wild in

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and into the Cape York Peninsula in north

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

(

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

). The term also refers to a

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

produced from ''Prunus speciosa'' (Oshima cherry), a cherry tree

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

in Japan.Prunus serrulata
/ref>Toshio Katsuki. (2015) ''Sakura''. p.137 Iwanami Shoten. 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

, are classified as independent species because of their genetic, morphological, and flowering time differences.Toshio Katsuki (2015). ''Sakura'' pp.156-170. Iwanami Shoten. There are several varieties and form (or species): * ''Prunus serrulata'' f. ''albida'' (syn. '' Prunus speciosa''). Japan.Toshio Katsuki (2015). ''Sakura'' p.89. pp.166-170. Iwanami Shoten. * ''Prunus serrulata'' var. ''spontanea'' or ''Prunus serrulata'' f. ''spontanea'' (syn. ''Prunus yamasakura''). Japan.Toshio Katsuki (2015). ''Sakura'' pp.156-160. Iwanami Shoten. :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. ''pubescens'' (syn. '' Prunus leveilleana''). Japan, Korea, China.Toshio Katsuki (2015). ''Sakura'' pp.160-163. Iwanami Shoten. * ''Prunus serrulata'' var. ''sachalinensis'' (syn. '' Prunus sargentii''). Japan, Korea, eastern Russia, China.Toshio Katsuki (2015). ''Sakura'' pp.163-166. Iwanami Shoten.

Trees and flowers

''Prunus serrulata'' is a small

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

with a short single trunk, with a dense crown reaching a height of . The smooth bark is chestnut-brown, with prominent horizontal

lenticel A lenticel is a porous tissue consisting of cells with large intercellular spaces in the periderm of the secondarily thickened organs and the Bark (botany), bark of woody stems and roots of gymnosperms and dicotyledonous flowering plants. It func ...

s. The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

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. The

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s 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

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

, the , has differences from the '' Prunus avium'' in that sakuranbo are smaller in size and more bitter in taste; the sakuranbo is a globose black

drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is a type of fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pip'' (UK), ''pit'' (US), ''stone'', or ''pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed ...

8–10mm 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 ''P. serrulata'' was bred for its flowers, its fruits do not enlarge the way cherry varieties bred for their fruit do.

Cultivars

Among the ''Prunus serrulata'', many cultivars derived from Japanese endemic ''Prunus speciosa'' (Oshima cherry), are widely grown as a flowering

ornamental tree Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

, both in Japan and throughout the temperate regions of the world. Numerous cultivars have been selected, many of them with double flowers with the

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s 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 hanami around the world were derived from the complicated hybridization of wild species such as '' P. sargentii'', '' P. itosakura'', '' P. leveilleana'', '' P. apetala'', '' P. incisa'' and '' P. campanulata'' with the Oshima cherry, an endemic species of Japan.Toshio Katsuki (2015). ''Sakura'' pp.86-95. Iwanami Shoten. As the population increased in the southern Kanto region during the

Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...

, Oshima cherries, which were originally from Izu Oshima Island, were brought into

Honshu , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...

(the main island of Japan) to be cultivated and brought to

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

, the capital of Japan. In the

Muromachi period The , also known as the , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ...

, Oshima cherries were crossed with ''P. yamasakura'', and cultivars of Sato-zakura group such as 'Fugenzo' and 'Mikurumakaishi' began to appear. In the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

, various double-flowered cultivars were produced and planted on the banks of rivers, on Buddhist temples, in Shinto shrines and in daimyo gardens in urban areas such as Edo, 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 'Kanzan' are also mentioned. In American classification, these cultivars are classified as ''Prunus serrulata'' var. ''lannesiana'' or ''Prunus serrulata'' var. ''pendula'' (syn. ''Prunus lannesiana''). However, detailed DNA studies revealed that they were complex interspecific hybrids with the Oshima cherry, so they are classified as the ''Prunus'' Sato-zakura group or ''Cerasus'' Sato-zakura group. 'Kanzan' is the most popular Japanese cherry tree cultivar for cherry blossom viewing in Europe and North America. Compared with 'Yoshino cherry', 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 Bonn, Germany, 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.Toshio Katsuki. (2018) ''Sakura no Kagaku (Science of Cherry Blossoms)''. pp.40-42 SB Creative. In some cultivars, the

pistil Gynoecium (; ; : gynoecia) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl (botany), whorl of a flower; it consists ...

changes like a leaf and loses its fertility, and for example, 'Fugenzo' and 'Ichiyo', can only be propagated by artificial methods such as

grafting Grafting or graftage is a horticulture, horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the scion () while the lower part is called the roots ...

and

cutting Cutting is the separation or opening of a physical object, into two or more portions, through the application of an acutely directed force. Implements commonly used for wikt:cut, cutting are the knife and saw, or in medicine and science the sca ...

.Toshio Katsuki. (2015) ''Sakura'' p.107 Iwanami Shoten. 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' KoidzClassification and Morphological Identification of Cherry Blossoms.
Toshio Katsuki (2017). ::Flowers pink, double; young leaves bronze-coloured at first, becoming green.

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

. * 'Amanogawa'. ::Fastigiate cherry, with columnar habit; flowers semi-double, pale pink. Award of Garden Merit. Kenrokuen-kumagai1

* 'Choshu-hizakura' Also known as 'Kenrokuen-kumagai'. ''Crasus'' Sato-zakura Group 'Choshu-hizakura' ::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. * 'Fugenzo'. = 'Shiro-fugen'. ''Cerasus'' Sato-zakura Group 'Albo-rosea' Makino ::Flowers double, deep pink at first, fading to pale pink. In Japanese, ''fugen'' refers to Samantabhadra and ''zo'' refers to an elephant, and the origin of the name comes from the fact that the two

s, which look like leaves, were likened to the tusks of a white elephant on which Samantabhadra rides. Award of Garden Merit. * 'Kiku-shidare'. ::Cheal's Weeping Cherry. Stems weeping; flowers double, pink. Tends to be short-lived. * 'Ichiyo'. ''Cerasus'' Sato-zakura Group 'Hisakura' Koehne ::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 ''ichi (一)'' means 'one' and ''yo (葉)'' 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. Award of Garden Merit. * 'Shirotae'. Mt. Fuji Cherry. ''Crasus'' Sato-zakura Group 'Shirotae' Koidz ::Very low, broad crown with nearly horizontal branching; flowers pure white, semi-double. Award of Garden Merit. * 'Taihaku'. ''Cerasus'' Sato-zakura Group 'Taihaku' Ingram ::Great White Cherry. Flowers single, white, very large (up to 8 cm diameter); young leaves bronze-coloured at first, becoming green. By the beginning of the 20th century it had already ceased to exist in Japan, but Collingwood Ingram, an English man who had imported it from Japan before then, sent it back to Japan in 1932.Toshio Katsuki. (2015) ''Sakura''. pp.119-123 Iwanami Shoten. Award of Garden Merit. * 'Ukon'. = 'Grandiflora', ''P. serrulata'' f. ''grandiflora'' Wagner. ''Cerasus'' Sato-zakura Group 'Grandiflora' A. Wagner ::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. 'Ukon' was developed in the Edo period.Toshio Katsuki. (2015) ''Sakura''. pp.86-95 p.104 Iwanami Shoten. Award of Garden Merit.

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')

References

External links

* * {{Authority control serrulata Cherry blossom Cherries Trees of Japan Trees of China Trees of Korea Trees of Vietnam National symbols of Japan Garden plants of Asia Plants used in bonsai Ornamental trees Trees of India Flora of India (region) Trees of Siberia Trees of Russia Trees of continental subarctic climate Trees of the Indian subcontinent Trees of Malesia Rosids of Australia Trees of Australia Flora of Queensland