Yoshino Cherry Tree

a hybrid cherry of unknown origin, probably between Prunus speciosa as father plant and Prunus pendula f. ascendens as mother. It occurs as a natural hybrid in Japan and is now one of the most popular and widely-planted cultivated flowering cherries in temperate climates worldwide. It is a small, deciduous tree that at maturity grows to be16–39 ft, rarely 49 ft tall. The leaves are alternately arranged, 2.4–5.9 in long and1.6–2.8 in broad, with a serrated margin; they are often bronze-toned when newly emerged, becoming dark green by summer. The flowers emerge before the leaves in early spring; they are fragrant, 1.2–1.4 in in diameter, with five white or pale pink petals. The flowers grow in clusters of five or six together. The fruit, a small cherry, is a globose drupe 0.31–0.39 in in diameter; they are an important source of food for many small birds and mammals, including robins and thrushes.