| Prunus serrulata | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Prunus serrulata'Kanzan' in bloom at Jardin des Plantes, Paris, France. | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Genus: | Prunus |
| Subgenus: | Prunussubg. Cerasus |
| Section: | P.sect. Cerasus |
| Species: | P. serrulata |
| Binomial name | |
| Prunus serrulata | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Prunus serrulata orJapanese cherry[2] is aspecies of cherry tree that grows wild inJapan,China,Korea andVietnam. The term also refers to acultivar produced fromPrunus speciosa (Oshima cherry), a cherry treeendemic in Japan.[3][4] 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 theCerasus Sato-zakura Group.[4][5][6]
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 andP. serrulata Lindl. var.sachalinensis, thevarieties andform constituting thisspecies, are classified as independent species because of their genetic, morphological, and flowering time differences.[7]
There are severalvarieties andform (or species):
Prunus serrulata is a smalldeciduoustree with a short single trunk, with a dense crown reaching a height of 7.9–11.9 metres (26–39 ft). The smoothbark is chestnut-brown, with prominent horizontallenticels. Theleaves are arranged alternately, simple, ovate-lanceolate, 5–13 cm long and 2.5–6.5 cm broad, with a shortpetiole and a serrate or doubly serrate margin. At the end of autumn, the green leaves turn yellow, red or crimson.[3]
Theflowers 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. Itsfruit, thesakuranbo, has differences from thePrunus avium in that sakuranbo are smaller in size and more bitter in taste; the sakuranbo is aglobose blackdrupe 8–10 mm in diameter. Owing to their bitter taste, the raw sakuranbo is unpalatable and rarely eaten; instead, the seed inside is removed and the fleshy part preserved.[citation needed]
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; asP. serrulata was bred for its flowers, its fruits do not enlarge the way cherry varieties bred for their fruit do.[citation needed]
Among thePrunus serrulata, manycultivars derived from Japanese endemicPrunus speciosa (Oshima cherry), are widely grown as a floweringornamental tree, both in Japan and throughout the temperate regions of the world. Numerous cultivars have been selected, many of them with double flowers with thestamens 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 forhanami around the world were derived from the complicated hybridization of wild species such asP. sargentii,P. itosakura,P. leveilleana,P. apetala,P. incisa andP. campanulata with the Oshima cherry, an endemic species of Japan.[12][5]
As the population increased in the southernKanto region during theKamakura period, Oshima cherries, which were originally fromIzu Oshima Island, were brought intoHonshu (the main island of Japan) to be cultivated and brought toKyoto, the capital of Japan. In theMuromachi period, Oshima cherries were crossed withP. yamasakura, and cultivars of Sato-zakura group such as 'Fugenzo' and 'Mikurumakaishi' began to appear. In theEdo period, various double-flowered cultivars were produced and planted on the banks of rivers, on Buddhist temples, inShinto shrines and indaimyo gardens in urban areas such asEdo, 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.[12][5]
In American classification, these cultivars are classified asPrunus serrulata var.lannesiana orPrunus 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 thePrunus Sato-zakura group orCerasus Sato-zakura group.[4][12][5]
'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 ofBonn, 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.[13][14]
In some cultivars, thepistil changes like a leaf and loses its fertility, and for example,'Fugenzo' and'Ichiyo', can only be propagated by artificial methods such asgrafting andcutting.[15]
In cultivation in Europe and North America, it is usually grafted on toPrunus avium roots; the cultivated forms rarely bear fruit. It is viewed as part of the Japanese custom ofHanami.[citation needed]
Some importantcultivars include:
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| Other | |
