Scientific name: Prunus serrulata
Popular Names: Ornamental Cherry Tree, Cherry Tree, Japanese Cherry Tree, Japanese Cherry Tree, Japanese Ornamental Cherry Tree, Sakura
Family: Rosaceae
Category: Ornamental Trees
Weather: Mediterranean
Origin: Asia, Japan
Height: 3.0 to 3.6 meters
Luminosity: Full Sun
Life cycle: Perennial
The ornamental cherry is a deciduous, medium-sized, decorative flowering tree, widely used in landscaping.
Its trunk is cylindrical, slender, simple and short, with rough, grayish-brown bark and prominent horizontal lenticels.
The tree has a height of about 4 meters, with a more or less dense crown, in the form of a vase and 3 to 4 meters in diameter.
The leaves are alternate, ovate, acuminate, with serrated margins and well-marked veins.
They emerge with a tan hue, and turn green, changing to yellow or red in the autumn, before falling off.
The flowers bloom in late winter and spring, united in groups of two to five in raceme-like inflorescences. They have no scent and can be single or double, white or in different shades of pink, depending on the cultivar.
The cherries appear in the summer, attracting many birds. They are drupe-type fruits, with a globose to ovoid shape, shiny skin, dark red to black in color, fleshy and sweet pulp, involving a single seed. Cultivars of this species rarely bear fruit.
The ornamental cherry tree is a tree of incomparable beauty, which changes with each season. The best effect is obtained with the plant alone, standing out, but it can also be used in rows, along alleys or in groups, forming small groves.
Low maintenance, practically does not require pruning, requiring only the removal of diseased, malformed and dry branches.
It is the symbol tree of Japan, where it annually attracts thousands of people to squares and parks during its flowering. The fruits are edible when ripe and tea is made from the flowers.
Among the most important cultivars we can mention: 'Amonogawa', 'Kwanzan', 'Kiku-shidare', 'Shirofugen', 'Shirotae', 'Tai Haku', 'Royal Burgundy', 'Shogetsu', 'Ukon' and 'Snowgoose '.
It is also suitable for planting in pots and for the formation of Bonsai.
It should be grown in full sun or partial shade, in fertile, neutral, well-draining soil, enriched with organic matter and irrigated regularly.
Temperate climate plant, needs well-marked seasons to flower satisfactorily. For this reason it is not indicated for equatorial and tropical regions, except in high altitude regions.
Its growth is moderate and flowering is early.
Does not tolerate waterlogging and drastic pruning.
Resists cold, frost and short periods of drought.