Prunus × yedoensis
Encyclopedia
Prunus × yedoensis is a hybrid cherry of unknown origin, probably between Prunus speciosa
as father plant and Prunus pendula f. ascendens as mother. It occurs as a natural hybrid in Japan
and is now one of the most popular and widely-planted cultivated flowering cherries (sakura
) in temperate climates worldwide.
It is a small, deciduous
tree
that at maturity grows to be 5 to 12 m (16.4 to 39.4 ft) (rarely 15 metres (49.2 ft) ) tall. It grows well in hardiness zone
s 5-8 and does well in full sun and moist but well drained soil. The leaves
are alternately arranged, 6 to 15 cm (2.4 to 5.9 in) long and 4 to 7 cm (1.6 to 2.8 in) broad, with a serrated margin; they are often bronze-toned when newly emerged, becoming dark green by summer. The flowers emerge before the leaves in early spring; they are fragrant, 3 to 3.5 cm (1.2 to 1.4 in) in diameter, with five white or pale pink petals. The flowers grow in clusters of five or six together. The fruit
, a small cherry
, is a globose drupe
8 to 10 mm (0.31496062992126 to 0.393700787401575 in) in diameter; they are an important source of food for many small birds and mammals, including robins
and thrushes
. The fruit contain little flesh and much concentrated red juice, which can stain clothing and brick. The fruit is only marginally sweet to the human palate.
Because of its fragrant, light pink flowers, manageable size, and elegant shape, the Yoshino cherry is often used for ornamental purposes. Many cultivar
s have been selected; notable examples include Akebono, Ivensii, and Shidare Yoshino.
The Yoshino cherry was introduced to Europe
and North America
in 1902. This tree, along with the cultivar Kwanzan
(derived from the related Prunus serrulata), is responsible for the spectacular pink show each spring in Washington D.C. and other cities. Several of 2000 Japanese cherry trees given to the citizens of Toronto by the citizens of Tokyo in 1959 were planted in High Park
.
From the Edo period to the beginning of the Meiji period, gardeners and craftsman who made the village at Somei in Edo (now Komagome, Toshima ward, Tokyo) grew someiyoshino. They first offered them as Yoshinozakura, but in 1900, they were renamed someiyoshino by Dr. Fujino.
, Korea
. In 1916, Ernest Henry Wilson
had thought that Japanese sakura somei Yoshino was a crossbreed of two wild species of Japanese sakura. In 1995 DNA fingerprinting technology was used to conclude that the trees grown in many parts of Japan under the name P. × yedoensis are indeed clonally propagated from the same hybrid offspring of P. lannesiana (Oshimazakura) and P. pendula (Edohigan), which confirms the 1991 conclusion given by Iwasaki Fumio that Prunus × yedoensis originated around 1720–1735 by artificial crossing of these species in Edo (Tokyo)
. Recent studies conducted on the comparison of Korean and Japanese trees that have been referred to as Ｐrunus × yedoensis concluded that the trees native to these two places can be categorized as distinct species, but the Korean species apparently has not yet been given a scientific name.
Prunus speciosa
Prunus speciosa, the Oshima Cherry, Japanese オオシマザクラ , is native to Izu Ōshima island and the Izu Peninsula on Honshū near Tokyo, Japan.-Description:Prunus speciosa is a deciduous tree typically high...
as father plant and Prunus pendula f. ascendens as mother. It occurs as a natural hybrid in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and is now one of the most popular and widely-planted cultivated flowering cherries (sakura
Cherry Blossoms
Cherry Blossoms is one of the oldest and largest international marriage agencies still in operation today. It was established in 1974 as a picture catalog, but has now switched entirely to a web-based format...
) in temperate climates worldwide.
It is a small, deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
that at maturity grows to be 5 to 12 m (16.4 to 39.4 ft) (rarely 15 metres (49.2 ft) ) tall. It grows well in hardiness zone
Hardiness zone
A hardiness zone is a geographically defined area in which a specific category of plant life is capable of growing, as defined by climatic conditions, including its ability to withstand the minimum temperatures of the zone...
s 5-8 and does well in full sun and moist but well drained soil. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are alternately arranged, 6 to 15 cm (2.4 to 5.9 in) long and 4 to 7 cm (1.6 to 2.8 in) broad, with a serrated margin; they are often bronze-toned when newly emerged, becoming dark green by summer. The flowers emerge before the leaves in early spring; they are fragrant, 3 to 3.5 cm (1.2 to 1.4 in) in diameter, with five white or pale pink petals. The flowers grow in clusters of five or six together. The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
, a small cherry
Cherry
The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....
, is a globose drupe
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
8 to 10 mm (0.31496062992126 to 0.393700787401575 in) in diameter; they are an important source of food for many small birds and mammals, including robins
Robins
Robins is a Swedish late-night talk show which premiered on SVT2 on August 23, 2006. The host is the young stand-up comedian Robin Paulsson from Malmö...
and thrushes
Thrush (bird)
The thrushes, family Turdidae, are a group of passerine birds that occur worldwide.-Characteristics:Thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized birds, inhabiting wooded areas, and often feed on the ground or eat small fruit. The smallest thrush may be the Forest Rock-thrush, at and...
. The fruit contain little flesh and much concentrated red juice, which can stain clothing and brick. The fruit is only marginally sweet to the human palate.
Cultivation and uses
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s have been selected; notable examples include Akebono, Ivensii, and Shidare Yoshino.
The Yoshino cherry was introduced to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
in 1902. This tree, along with the cultivar Kwanzan
Prunus serrulata
Prunus serrulata or Japanese Cherry; also called Hill Cherry, Oriental Cherry or East Asian Cherry, is a species of cherry native to Japan, Korea and China. It is known for its spring cherry blossom displays and festivals....
(derived from the related Prunus serrulata), is responsible for the spectacular pink show each spring in Washington D.C. and other cities. Several of 2000 Japanese cherry trees given to the citizens of Toronto by the citizens of Tokyo in 1959 were planted in High Park
High Park
High Park is a municipal park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It spans , and is a mixed recreational and natural park, with sporting facilities, cultural facilities, educational facilities, gardens, playgrounds and a zoo. One third of the park remains in a natural state, with a rare oak savannah ecology...
.
From the Edo period to the beginning of the Meiji period, gardeners and craftsman who made the village at Somei in Edo (now Komagome, Toshima ward, Tokyo) grew someiyoshino. They first offered them as Yoshinozakura, but in 1900, they were renamed someiyoshino by Dr. Fujino.
Origin debates
In 1933, the Japanese botanist Gen'ichi Koizumi reported that Prunus × yedoensis originated on Jeju-do island (Quelpaert)Jeju-do
Jeju-do is the only special autonomous province of South Korea, situated on and coterminous with the country's largest island. Jeju-do lies in the Korea Strait, southwest of Jeollanam-do Province, of which it was a part before it became a separate province in 1946...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. In 1916, Ernest Henry Wilson
Ernest Henry Wilson
Ernest Henry "Chinese" Wilson , better known as E. H. Wilson, was a notable English plant collector who introduced a large range of about 2000 of Asian plant species to the West; some sixty bear his name.-Career:...
had thought that Japanese sakura somei Yoshino was a crossbreed of two wild species of Japanese sakura. In 1995 DNA fingerprinting technology was used to conclude that the trees grown in many parts of Japan under the name P. × yedoensis are indeed clonally propagated from the same hybrid offspring of P. lannesiana (Oshimazakura) and P. pendula (Edohigan), which confirms the 1991 conclusion given by Iwasaki Fumio that Prunus × yedoensis originated around 1720–1735 by artificial crossing of these species in Edo (Tokyo)
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. Recent studies conducted on the comparison of Korean and Japanese trees that have been referred to as Ｐrunus × yedoensis concluded that the trees native to these two places can be categorized as distinct species, but the Korean species apparently has not yet been given a scientific name.