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.

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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