Prunus subhirtella

Prunus subhirtella (Prunus × subhirtella), the winter-flowering cherry,[1] spring cherry, Higan cherry, or rosebud cherry,[2] is a small deciduous flowering tree originating in Japan, but unknown in the wild. It is one of 400 species of the Prunus genus.[3] It is probably of hybrid origin between Prunus incisa and Prunus spachiana.

Prunus subhirtella
Cultivar 'Pendula', "Weeping Higan Cherry"
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Rosids
Order:
Rosales
Family:
Rosaceae
Genus:
Prunus
Subgenus:
Cerasus
Species:
P. subhirtella
Binomial name
Prunus subhirtella
Synonyms
  • Prunus autumnalis Koehne
  • Prunus biloba Franch. ex Koehne
  • Prunus changyangensis (Ingram) Ingram
  • Prunus herincquiana (Lavallée) Koehne
  • Prunus kohigan Koidz.

Their seeds or "genes" can be used to control plant and soil compatibility.[3]

Fruit and flowers

Prunus subhirtella bears white to pink flowers which may emerge intermittently from autumn through to spring, and small black fruit.[4][5]

Ornamental use

The leaves of P. subhirtella have some garden value for their autumn colour.[4]

The flowers can be used as indoor decorations.[6]

Several garden forms are known. The cultivar 'Jugatsu-zakura' (incorrectly known as Prunus × subhirtella 'Autumnalis')[7] is widely grown for its propensity to flower during mild winter weather.[4] The cultivar P. × subhirtella 'Autumnalis Rosea' is widely grown in gardens, and has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[8]

  • Closeup of leaves
  • Closeup of bark
  • A Higan cherry tree in full flower during late December in Boston's Public Garden.
  • Miharu Takizakura, perhaps the most famous tree in Japan, being 1000 years old.
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References
  1. "Prunus subhirtella". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  2. Bailey, L.H.; Bailey, E.Z.; the staff of the Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third: A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada. Macmillan, New York.
  3. Maghuly, Fatemeh; Schmoellerl, Birgit; Temsch, Eva M.; Laimer, Margit (20 August 2010). "Genome size, karyotyping and FISH physical mapping of 45S and 5S genes in two cherry rootstocks: Prunus subhirtella and Prunus incisa × serrula". Journal of Biotechnology. 149 (1–2): 88–94. doi:10.1016/j.jbiotec.2010.06.022.
  4. The European Garden Flora. IV. 1995.
    — Hillier's Manual of Trees and Shrubs.
  5. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a916
  6. Nicholson, B.E.; Wallis, Michael (1963). The Oxford Book of Garden Flowers (Revised ed.). London: Oxford University Press (published 1973). p. viii. ISBN 1131802403.
  7. Botany Photo of the Day, 7 February 2011, the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research
  8. "RHS Plant Selector - Prunus × subhirtella 'Autumnalis Rosea'". Archived from the original on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2013.

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