Prunus serrulata - Japanese Cherry - Cherry Blossom

General Information Common Name  Japanese Cherry Scientific Name  Prunus serrulata Sun Tolerance  Full Sun Height  8-12 m (26 - 40 ft) Spread  8-12 m (26-40 ft) Growth Rate  Fast Bloom Time  Spring Color  Green, Red Flower Color  Pink Type  Tree Native  Europe, USA, Asia

Classification Kingdom  Plantae – Plants Subkingdom  Tracheobionta – Vascular plants Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants Division  Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants Class  Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons Subclass  Rosidae Order/  Rosales Family  Rosaceae – Rose family Genus  Prunus L. – cherry Species  P. serrulata

Prunus serrulata - Japanese Cherry

Prunus serrulata common name is Japanese Cherry also called Hill Cherry, or Oriental Cherry or East Asian Cherry. It is a species of cherry native to Easter Asia  as Japan, Korea and China.  It is used for its spring cherry blossom displays and festivals.

It is a small deciduous tree with a short single trunk, with a dense crown.  It grows 8–12 m (26–40 ft). The smooth bark is chestnut-brown, with prominent horizontal lenticels. The leaves are arranged alternately, simple, ovate-lanceolate. Every leaf is 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 or red. 

The flower of the P. serrulata is the main attraction. When bloom they are looking so beautiful. It blooms pink flowers in spring. The flowers are produced in racemose clusters of two to five together at nodes on short spurs in spring at the same time as the new leaves appear; with five petals in the wild type tree. The people of Japan, Korea and China celebrate the Cherry Blossom Festival when they full blooms in Spring. The fruit is a globose black drupe 8–10 mm diameter. Prunus serrulata is widely grown as a flowering ornamental tree, both in its native countries and throughout the temperate regions of the world. 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.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is a spring celebration in Washington, D.C., commemorating the 1912 gift of Prunus serrulata Japanese cherry trees from Tokyo to the city of Washington. They are planted in the Tidal Basin park. P. serrulata is manly cultivates as a flowering tree. People plant it in their garden or in the Park as ornamental Tree. 

Japanese Cherry

Japanese Cherry Leaves

Leaves of Cherry Blossom

Japanese Cherry Flowers

Flowers of Cherry Blossom

Japanese Cherry Fruits

Fruits of Japanese Cherry

Japanese Cherry Bark

Japanese Cherry Bark

Japanese Cherry leaves in Fall

Cherry Blossom as Ornamental Plant

Japanese Cherry

Japanese Cherry in tub

Japanese Cherry as ornamental tree