Cherry Tree Varieties

A large majority of cherry trees in Japan are of the Somei Yoshino and Yamazakura varieties. But in total, over 100 cherry tree varieties can be found in Japan.

There are several characteristics that differ between the various cherry tree varieties. Some of the obvious ones, that can also be easily recognized by:-

Number of petals:

Most wild trees, but also a lot of cultivated tree varieties have blossoms with five petals. However, some species have blossoms which consist of more than five petals, such as ten, twenty or more. Trees with blossoms of more than five petals are called yaezakura.

• 5 petals (e.g. Oshimazakura)
• About 20 petals (e.g. Ichiyo)
• About 100 petals (e.g. Kikuzakura)
  

Color of the blossoms:

Most varieties produce lightly pink to pure white blossoms, but there are also cherry trees with dark pink or slightly yellowish blossoms. The color of the blossoms of some varieties is also changing while they are in bloom, from white to pink, for instance.

• white blossoms (e.g. Shogetsu)
• pink blossoms (e.g. Kanzan)
• yellowish blossoms (e.g. Ukon)

Time of blooming:

Most cherry tree varieties carry blossoms in spring. However, there are a few varieties, which bloom in late autumn and during the winter months. Yaezakura, i.e. cherry trees with blossoms of more than five petals, are typically the last ones to open their blossoms, about two to four weeks after most five-petaled species.

Form of the tree:

Cherry trees display various growing habits and come in different shapes and forms: triangular, columnar, V-shape, weeping, flat-topped, etc. Weeping cherry trees are called shidarezakura.

EXAMPLES of Cherry Tree:-

Somei Yoshino (Yoshino Cherry) - late March, early April

Cultivated during the Edo Period, the Somei Yoshino is by far the most numerous cherry tree in Japan. Somei Yoshino trees come with slightly pink, almost white, 5-petaled blossoms.

Fugenzo - mid to late April

The Fugenzo is a late blooming yaezakura with about 30-40 petals per blossom. White to slightly pink when they open, the blossoms turn into a darker pink over time. The fresh leaves are coppery brown.

Ichiyo - mid April

The Ichiyo has about twenty, lightly pink petals per blossom. The fresh leaves are green.

To find out more, you may browse this web link:-

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2011.html