Cherry blossom

A cherry blossom, also known as Japanese cherry or sakura, is a flower of many trees of genus Prunus or Prunus subg. Cerasus. They are common species in East Asia, including China, Korea and especially in Japan. They generally refer to ornamental cherry trees, not to be confused with cherry trees that produce fruit for eating.[4][5] It is considered the national flower of Japan.[6]

Prunus speciosa (Oshima cherry). The characteristics of the species gave rise to many cultivars.[1][2]
Prunus serrulata 'Kanzan' or 'Sekiyama'. It is one of the most popular cherry tree cultivars in Europe and North America. One of the cultivars was selected for the British Award of Garden Merit.[3]
Cherry blossoms at Sugimura park, Hashimoto
Yachounomori Garden, Tatebayashi, Gunma, Japan
Cherry blossoms in Seattle

Wild species of the cherry tree is widely distributed mainly in the Northern hemisphere.[7][8][9] In the mainstream classification in Europe and North America, cherry trees for ornamental purposes are classified into the genus Prunus which consists of about 400 species. In the mainstream classification in Japan, China, and Russia, on the other hand, ornamental cherry trees are classified into the genus Cerasus, which consists of about 100 species separated from the genus Prunus, and the genus Cerasus does not include Prunus salicina, Prunus persica (Peach), Prunus mume, Prunus grayana, amongst others.[4] In Europe and North America, however, there were not many wild cherry trees with many large flowers suitable for cherry blossom viewing. Many of them were different from the typical cherry tree shapes and flowers for cherry blossom viewing that people today imagine.[10][8] In mainland China, there has been a culture of viewing plum blossoms since ancient times, and there were many wild species of cherry blossoms, but many of them had small flowers, and the distribution area of wild species of cherry blossoms, which bore large flowers suitable for hanami, was often limited to a small area away from people's living areas.[11] On the other hand, in Japan, Prunus speciosa (Oshima cherry) and Prunus jamasakura (Yamazakura), which bloom large flowers suitable for cherry blossom viewing and tend to become large trees, were distributed in a fairly wide area of the country and close to people's living areas. Therefore, it is considered that the culture of viewing cherry blossoms and the production of cultivars have developed historically in Japan.[11]

Many of the cherry trees currently enjoyed for cherry blossom viewing are not wild species but cultivar. Because cherry trees have a mutable trait, many cultivars have been created for cherry blossom viewing, especially in Japan. Since the Heian period, the Japanese have produced many cultivars by selecting superior or mutant individuals that were born from natural crossings of wild cherry trees, or by crossing them artificially, and then breeding them by grafting and cutting. Oshima cherry, Yamazakura, Prunus pendula f.ascendens (syn, Prunus itosakura, Edo higan), and so on, which grow naturally in Japan, are easy to mutate, and especially Oshima cherry, which is an endemic species in Japan, tend to mutate into double-flowered, grow fast, have many large flowers, and have a strong fragrance; therefore, Oshima cherry has produced much sakura called Sato-zakura Group as a base of cultivars because of its favorable characteristics. The representative cultivars whose parent species is the Oshima cherry are Yoshino cherry and Kanzan; Yoshino cherries are actively planted in Asian countries, and Kanzan is actively planted in Western countries.[12][1][2][3]

In Europe, from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, Collingwood Ingram, an Englishman, collected and studied Japanese cherry blossoms, and created various ornamental cultivars, and the culture of cherry blossom viewing began to be spread. In the United States, cherry blossom viewing began to spread after Japan presented cherry blossoms as a token of friendship in 1912.[13]

Classification

The botanical classification of cherry blossoms varies from period to period and from country to country. As of the 21st century, in the mainstream classification in Europe and North America, cherry trees for ornamental purposes are classified into the genus Prunus which consists of about 400 species. In the mainstream classification in Japan, China, and Russia, on the other hand, ornamental cherry trees are classified into the genus Cerasus, which consists of about 100 species separated from the genus Prunus, and the genus Cerasus does not include Prunus salicina, Prunus persica (Peach), Prunus mume, Prunus grayana, etc.[4] In Japan, the genus Prunus was the mainstream as in Europe and America until around 1992, but it was reclassified into the genus Cerasus to more accurately reflect the latest botanical situation of cherry blossoms. However, it is often classified into the genus Prunus for presentation in English-speaking countries. In general, cherry blossom (sakura) refers only to some of these about 100 species and the cultivars produced from them, and it does not refer to plum blossoms (梅, ume) which are similar to sakura.[4]

In addition, since cherry trees are relatively prone to mutation and have a variety of flowers and trees, there are many varieties, such as variety which is a sub-classification of species, hybrids between species, and cultivar. For this reason, many researchers have named different scientific names for a particular type of cherry tree in different periods, and there is confusion in the classification of cherry trees.[14]

Time of flowering
Yoshino cherry, a cultivar propagated through grafting, reaches full bloom at the same time under the same environment.

Many wild species and cultivars bloom from March to April in the Northern Hemisphere. Wild species, even if they are the same species, are genetically different from one tree to another, so even if they are planted in the same place, there is some variation in the time when they reach full bloom. On the other hand, because cultivars tend to be planted for cherry blossom viewing, which is a clone propagated by grafting or cutting, is genetically uniform, each tree of the same cultivar planted in the same place is in full bloom and scattered all at once. In addition, some wild species such as Edo higan and the cultivars developed from them are in full bloom before the leaves open, giving a showy impression to the people who enjoy them. Yoshino cherry became popular as a cherry tree for cherry-blossom viewing because, in addition to these characteristics of simultaneous flowering and the fact that the flowers are in full bloom before the leaves open, it bears a large number of flowers and grows quickly to become a big tree. Many cultivars of Sato-zakura group, which were born from complex interspecific hybrids based on Oshima cherry, are often used for ornamental purposes and generally reach full bloom a few days after to two weeks after Yoshino cherry reaches full bloom.[15]

The flowering time of cherry trees is thought to be affected by global warming and the heat island effect of urbanization. According to the record of full bloom dates of Yamazakura (Prunus jamasakura) in Kyoto, Japan, which was recorded for about 1200 years, the time of full bloom was relatively stable from 812 to 1800s, but after that, the time of full bloom rapidly became earlier and in 2021, the earliest full bloom date in 1200 years was recorded. The average peak day in the 1850s was around April 17, but in the 2020s it was April 5, during which time the average temperature rose by about 6 degrees (3.4 Celsius). According to the record of full bloom dates of Yoshino cherry in the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., around 1921 it was April 5, but around 2021 it was March 31. These records are consistent with the record of rapid increases in global mean temperature since the mid-1800s.[16][17]

Flower viewing in Japan
Prunus × yedoensis 'Somei-yoshino' (Yoshino cherry). The most popular cherry tree cultivar in Japan and the Asian region. One of the cultivars selected for the British Award of Garden Merit.
Woodblock print of Mount Fuji and cherry blossom from Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji by Hiroshige

"Hanami" is the centuries-old practice of drinking under a blooming sakura (桜 or 櫻; さくら or サクラ) or ume tree. The custom is said to have started during the Nara period (710–794), when it was ume blossoms that people admired in the beginning, but by the Heian period (794–1185), cherry blossoms had come to attract more attention, and 'hanami' was synonymous with 'sakura'.[18] From then on, in both waka and haiku, "flowers" (花, hana) meant "cherry blossoms". The custom was originally limited to the elite of the Imperial Court, but soon spread to samurai society and, by the Edo period, to the common people as well. Tokugawa Yoshimune planted areas of cherry blossom trees to encourage this. Under the sakura trees, people had lunch and drank sake in cheerful feasts.[19]

Since a book written in the Heian period mentions "weeping cherry" ('しだり櫻, 糸櫻'), one of the cultivars with pendulous branches, it is considered that Prunus itosakura 'Pendula' (Sidare-zakura) is the oldest cultivar in Japan. In the Kamakura period, when the population increased in the southern Kanto region, the Oshima cherry, which originated in Izu Oshima Island, was brought to Honshu and cultivated there, and then brought to the capital, Kyoto. In the Muromachi period, the Sato-zakura Group which was born from complex interspecific hybrids based on Oshima cherry, began to appear.[12]

A tree about 2,000 years old Jindai-zakura.

Prunus itosakura (syn. Prunus subhirtella, Edo higan), a wild species, grows slowly, but has the longest life span among cherry trees and is easy to grow into large trees. For this reason, there are many large and long-lived trees of this species in Japan, and their cherry trees are often regarded as sacred and have become a landmark that symbolizes Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, and local areas. For example, Jindai-zakura that is around 2,000 years old, Usuzumi-zakura that is around 1,500 years old, and Daigo-zakura that is around 1,000 years old are famous.[20]

'Kanzan' is a double-flowered cultivar developed in the Edo period. It has 20 to 50 petals in a flower.[21]

In the Edo period, various double-flowered cultivars were produced and planted on the banks of rivers, in Buddhist temples, in Shinto shrines, and in daimyo gardens in urban areas such as Edo, and the common people living in urban areas could enjoy them. Books from that period recorded more than 200 varieties of cherry blossoms and mentioned many varieties of cherry blossoms which are currently known, such as 'Kanzan'. However, the situation was limited to urban areas, and the main objects of hanami across the country were wild species such as Prunus jamasakura (Yamazakura) and Oshima cherry, which were widely distributed in the country.[12]

Since the Meiji period when Japan was modernized, Yoshino cherry has spread throughout Japan, and the object of hanami for Japanese people has changed to Yoshino cherry.[19] On the other hand, various cultivars other than Yoshino cherry were cut down one after another due to the rapid modernization of cities, such as reclamation of waterways and demolition of daimyo gardens. The gardener Takagi Magoemon and the village mayor of Kohoku Village Shimizu Kengo worried about this situation and saved them from the danger of extinction by making a row of cherry trees composed of various cultivars on the Arakawa River bank. In Kyoto, Sano Toemon XIV, a gardener, collected various cultivars and propagated them. After World War II, these cultivars were inherited by the National Institute of Genetics, Tama Forest Science Garden, and the Flower Association of Japan, and from the 1960s onwards various cultivars were again used for hanami.[22]

Every year the Japanese Meteorological Agency and the public track the sakura zensen ("cherry blossom front") as it moves northward up the archipelago with the approach of warmer weather via nightly forecasts following the weather segment of news programs. The blossoming begins in Okinawa in January, and typically reaches Kyoto and Tokyo at the end of March or the beginning of April. It proceeds into areas at the higher altitudes and northward, arriving in Hokkaido a few weeks later. Japanese pay close attention to these forecasts and turn out in large numbers at parks, shrines, and temples with family and friends to hold flower-viewing parties. Hanami festivals celebrate the beauty of the cherry blossom and for many are a chance to relax and enjoy the beautiful view. The custom of hanami dates back many centuries in Japan. The 8th century chronicle Nihon Shoki (日本書紀) records hanami festivals being held as early as the 3rd century AD.

Most Japanese schools and public buildings have cherry blossom trees outside of them. Since the fiscal and school year both begin in April, in many parts of Honshu, the first day of work or school coincides with the cherry blossom season. However, while most cherry blossom trees bloom in spring, there are also lesser known winter cherry blossoms (fuyuzakura in Japanese) that bloom between October and December.[23] This allows for people to see both cherry blossoms and fall leaves in bloom at the same time.

The Japan Cherry Blossom Association developed a list of Japan's Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots (ja:日本さくら名所100選)[24] with at least one location in every prefecture.

Symbolism in Japan
A 100 yen coin depicting cherry blossom
Cherry blossoms at Himeji Castle, Japan
Japan national rugby union team is nicknamed "Brave Blossoms" with the flowers on their breasts.

In Japan, cherry blossoms symbolize clouds due to their nature of blooming en masse, besides being an enduring metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life,[25] an aspect of Japanese cultural tradition that is often associated with Shinto influence,[26] and which is embodied in the concept of mono no aware.[27] The association of the cherry blossom with mono no aware dates back to 18th-century scholar Motoori Norinaga.[27] The transience of the blossoms, the exquisite beauty, and volatility, has often been associated with mortality[25] and graceful and readily acceptance of destiny and karma; for this reason, cherry blossoms are richly symbolic and have been utilized often in Japanese art, manga, anime, and film, as well as at musical performances for ambient effect. There is at least one popular folk song, originally meant for the shakuhachi (bamboo flute), titled "Sakura", and several pop songs. The flower is also represented in all manner of consumer goods in Japan, including kimono, stationery, and dishware.

The Sakurakai or Cherry Blossom Society was the name chosen by young officers within the Imperial Japanese Army in September 1930 for their secret society established to reorganize the state along totalitarian militaristic lines, via a military coup d'état if necessary.[28]

During World War II, the cherry blossom was used to motivate the Japanese people, to stoke nationalism and militarism among the populace.[29] Even before the war, they were used in propaganda to inspire the "Japanese spirit", as in the "Song of Young Japan", exulting in "warriors" who were "ready like the myriad cherry blossoms to scatter".[30] In 1932, Akiko Yosano's poetry urged Japanese soldiers to endure sufferings in China and compared the dead soldiers to cherry blossoms.[31] Arguments that the plans for the Battle of Leyte Gulf, involving all Japanese ships, would expose Japan to danger if they failed, were countered with the plea that the Navy be permitted to "bloom as flowers of death".[32] The last message of the forces on Peleliu was "Sakura, Sakura" — cherry blossoms.[33] Japanese pilots would paint them on the sides of their planes before embarking on a suicide mission, or even take branches of the trees with them on their missions.[29] A cherry blossom painted on the side of the bomber symbolized the intensity and ephemerality of life;[34] in this way, the aesthetic association was altered such that falling cherry petals came to represent the sacrifice of youth in suicide missions to honor the emperor.[29][35] The first kamikaze unit had a subunit called Yamazakura or wild cherry blossom.[35] The government even encouraged the people to believe that the souls of downed warriors were reincarnated in the blossoms.[29]

Cherry blossoms are a prevalent symbol in Irezumi, the traditional art of Japanese tattoos. In tattoo art, cherry blossoms are often combined with other classic Japanese symbols like koi fish, dragons or tigers.[36]

It was later used for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics mascot Someity. It is also a common 'season' that signals the start of spring in the Animal Crossing series of video games, where all of the game's leafy trees bloom with cherry blossoms.

Cultivars
Prunus itosakura 'Pendula Rosea' (Beni-shidare). A tree over 1000 years old "Miharu Takizakura".
Prunus serrulata 'Chousiuhizakura'. Also known as Kenrokuen-kumagai. Large flowers and red leaves open at the same time. A DNA study in 2013 revealed that two were the same cultivar.[1][2]
Prunus × subhirtella 'Omoigawa'. 'Omoigawa' which was produced in Oyama City in 1954 is known as a cultivar in which 'Jugatsu-zakura' was mutated.[37]

Japan has a wide variety of cherry blossoms (sakura); well over 200 cultivars can be found there.[38] According to another classification method, it is thought that there are more than 600 cultivars in Japan.[39][40] According to the results of DNA analysis of 215 cultivars carried out by Japan's Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute in 2014, many of the cultivars of cherry trees that have spread around the world are interspecific hybrids that were produced by crossing Oshima cherry and Prunusu jamasakura (Yamazakura) with various wild species.[1][2] Among these cultivars, the Sato-zakura Group, and many cultivars have a large number of petals, and the representative cultivar is Prunus serrulata 'Kanzan'.[41][12]

The following species, hybrids, and varieties are used for sakura cultivars:[42][43][44][45][46]

  • Prunus apetala
  • Prunus campanulata
  • Prunus × furuseana (P. incisa × P. jamasakura[47])
  • Prunus × incam (P. incisa × P. campanulata)
  • Prunus incisa var. incisa
  • Prunus incisa var. kinkiensis
  • Prunus × introrsa
  • Prunus itosakura (Prunus subhirtella, Prunus pendula)
  • Prunus jamasakura
  • Prunus × kanzakura (P. campanulata × P. jamasakura and P. campanulata × P. speciosa[47])
  • Prunus leveilleana (Prunus verecunda)
  • Prunus × miyoshii
  • Prunus nipponica
  • Prunus padus
  • Prunus × parvifolia (P. incisa × P. speciosa[47])
  • Prunus pseudocerasus
  • Prunus × sacra (P. itosakura × P. jamasakura[47])
  • Prunus sargentii
  • Prunus serrulata var. lannesiana, Prunus lannesiana (Prunus Sato-zakura group. Complex interspecific hybrids based on Prunus speciosa.[48])
  • Prunus × sieboldii
  • Prunus speciosa
  • Prunus × subhirtella (P. incisa × P. itosakura[47])
  • Prunus × syodoi
  • Prunus × tajimensis
  • Prunus × takenakae
  • Prunus × yedoensis (P. itosakura × P. speciosa[47])
Prunus × yedoensis 'Somei-yoshino' (Yoshino cherry)

The most popular variety of cherry blossoms in Japan is the Somei Yoshino (Yoshino cherry). Its flowers are nearly pure white, tinged with the palest pink, especially near the stem. They bloom and usually fall within a week before the leaves come out. Therefore, the trees look nearly white from top to bottom. The variety takes its name from the village of Somei (now part of Toshima in Tokyo). It was developed in the mid to late-19th century at the end of the Edo period and the beginning of the Meiji period. The Somei Yoshino is so widely associated with cherry blossoms that jidaigeki and other works of fiction often depict the variety in the Edo period or earlier; such depictions are anachronisms.[49]

Prunus × kanzakura 'Kawazu-zakura' (Kawazu cherry). A representative cultivar of the cold season that blooms from late February to early March in Japan.

Prunus × kanzakura 'Kawazu-zakura' is a representative cultivar that blooms before the arrival of spring. It is a natural hybrid between Oshima cherry and Prunus campanulata, and is characterized by deep pink petals. Wild cherry trees usually do not bloom in cold seasons because they cannot produce offspring if they bloom before spring when the pollinating insects begin to move. However, it is considered that 'Kawazu-zakura' bloomed earlier because Prunus campanulata from Okinawa, which did not originally grow naturally in Honshu, crossed with Oshima cherry. In wild species, flowering before spring is a disadvantageous feature of selection, but in cultivars such as 'Kawazu-zakura', early flowering and flower characteristics are preferred and they are propagated by grafting.[50]

Cherry blossoms are basically classified by species and cultivars, but in Japan they are often classified by specific names based on the characteristics of the flowers and trees. Cherry trees with more petals than ordinary cherry trees with five petals are classified as yae-zakura (double-flowered sakura), and those with drooping branches are classified as shidare-zakura, or weeping cherry. Most yae-zakura and shidare-zakura are cultivars. Famous cultivars of shidare-zakura are 'Shidare-zakura', 'Beni-shidare' and 'Yae-beni-shidare', all derived from the wild species Prunus itosakura (syn, Prunus subhirtella or Edo higan).[51]

The color of cherry blossoms in general has a gradation between white and red, but there are cultivars with unusual colors such as yellow and green. The representative cultivars are Prunus serrulata 'Grandiflora' A. Wagner (Ukon) and Prunus serrulata 'Gioiko' Koidz (Gyoiko) developed in the Edo period of Japan.[52]

In 2007, Riken produced a new cultivar named 'Nishina zao' by irradiating cherry trees with a heavy-ion beam for the first time in the world. This cultivar is produced from the Prunus serrulata 'Gioiko' (Gyoiko) with green petals, and is characterized by its pale yellow-green-white flowers when it blooms and pale yellow-pink flowers when they fall. Riken produced 'Nishina otome', 'Nishina haruka', and 'Nishina komachi' in the same way.[53][54]

All wild varieties of cherry blossom trees produce small, unpalatable fruit or edible cherries. Edible cherries generally come from cultivars of the related species Prunus avium and Prunus cerasus. However, in some cultivars, the pistil changes like a leaf and loses its fertility, and for example, Prunus serrulata 'Hisakura' (Ichiyo) and Prunus serrulata 'Albo-rosea' Makino (Fugenzo), which originated from Oshima cherry, can only be propagated by artificial methods such as grafting and cutting.[55]

By country and region

Australia
Panoramic view from the Symbolic Mountain at the Japanese gardens. The view takes in the gardens and the plains of the Cowra district across to the nearby mountains.

During World War II, a prisoner of war (POW) camp near the town of Cowra in New South Wales, Australia, was the site of one of the largest prison escapes of the war, on 5 August 1944. During the Cowra breakout and subsequent rounding up of POWs, four Australian soldiers and 231 Japanese soldiers died and 108 prisoners were wounded. The Japanese War Cemetery holding the dead from the Breakout was tended after the war by members of the Cowra RSL and ceded to Japan in 1963. In 1971 the Cowra Tourism Development decided to celebrate this link to Japan and proposed a Japanese garden for the town. The Japanese government agreed to support this development as a sign of thanks for the respectful treatment of their war dead; the development also received funding from the Australian government and private entities.

The garden was designed by Ken Nakajima (1914–2000), a world-renowned designer of Japanese gardens at the time. The first stage was opened in 1979, and the second stage in 1986. The gardens were designed in the style of the Edo period and are a kaiyū-shiki or strolling garden. They are designed to show all of the landscape types of Japan. At five hectares (12 acres), the Cowra Japanese Garden is the largest Japanese garden in the Southern Hemisphere. An annual cherry blossom festival during September is now a major event in Cowra's tourism calendar.

Brazil
Cherry blossom in the Praça do Japão (Japan Square), Curitiba, Brazil

With the Japanese diaspora to Brazil, many immigrants brought seedlings of cherry trees. In São Paulo State, home to the largest Japanese community outside Japan, it is common to find them in Japan-related facilities and in some homes, usually of the cultivars Prunus serrulata 'Yukiwari' and Prunus serrulata var. lannesiana 'Himalaya'. Some cities, such as Garça[56] and Campos do Jordão,[57] have annual festivals to celebrate the blooming of the trees and Japanese culture. In the Parana State (in southern Brazil), many cities received many of these immigrants, who planted the trees, as in Apucarana,[58] Maringá, Cascavel[59] and especially in the capital city of Curitiba.[60]

In the capital city of Paraná, the first seedlings were brought by Japanese immigrants in the first half of the 20th century, but large quantities of them were only planted from the 1990s, with the opening of the Botanical Garden of Curitiba.[60] Nowadays, the seedlings are produced locally and used in afforestation[61] of streets and squares – as in the Japanese Square, where there are more than 30 cherry trees around the square which were sent by the Japanese Empire to Curitiba.[62]

Canada
Cherry blossoms in Canada, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario

Vancouver, British Columbia, is famous for its thousands of cherry trees (estimated 50,000) lining many streets and in many parks, including Queen Elizabeth Park and Stanley Park. Vancouver holds the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival every year.[63] With multiple varieties and a temperate climate, they begin to bloom in February yearly and peak in April. In 2022, this intra-community arts and culture outdoor Festival will run from April 1st to 23rd, 2022.

Cherry Blossom marks the beginning of Spring in Vancouver

High Park in Toronto, Ontario, features many Somei-Yoshino cherry trees (the earliest species to bloom and much loved by the Japanese for their fluffy white flowers) that were given to Toronto by Japan in 1959. Through the Sakura Project, the Japanese Consulate donated a further 34 cherry trees to High Park in 2001, plus cherry trees to various other locations like Exhibition Place, McMaster University, York University (near Calumet College and on Ottawa Road near McLaughlin College) and the University of Toronto's main (next to Robarts Library) and Scarborough campuses. Niagara Falls has many near the falls themselves. Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington and Hamilton was the recipient of several Somei-Yoshino cherry trees that were donated by the Consulate-General of Japan in Toronto as part of the Sakura Project. The trees are located in the Arboretum and the Rock Garden and were planted to celebrate the continual strengthening of friendship between Japan and Canada. Peak bloom time at Royal Botanical Gardens is normally around the last week of April or the first week of May.

China
Longwangtang Cherry Blossom Park in Liaoning, China

Cherry trees naturally grow in the middle northern or southern part of China, they are known as yinghua (櫻花) in Chinese.

However, some of the most famous cherry blossom parks in China reflect Japan's brief occupation of parts of China during the first half of the 20th century or the donation from Japan thereafter or prior: a notable example is Qinglong Temple - Xi’an. Cherry Blossom orchards were brought in by the Japanese monk Kukai in 806CE as a gift to commemorate his time as a student at the temple.[64]

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, twenty-eight cherry blossom trees were planted in Wuhan University by the Japanese troops. After the war ended it was decided that the trees would be preserved despite their historical implications. In 1972, as the China-Japan relations normalized, about 800 cherry blossom trees were donated to Wuhan University. Other donations would add to the numbers in the following years. Currently, Wuhan University has about one thousand cherry blossom trees of different kinds. 80% of these cherry trees are direct descendants of cherry trees planted by the Japanese. In 2020, when cherry blossom viewing became impossible due to the spread of COVID-19, the state of cherry blossoms at Wuhan University was released on the Web and viewed a total of 750 million times.[65][66]

Cherry blossoms are also used for friendship between China and Japan. In 1973, the following year of the Japan–China Joint Communiqué, Japan sent cherry trees to China as a symbol of friendship, and they were planted in the Yuyuantan Park in Beijing. After that, the cherry trees were proliferated and planted, and the park became famous for cherry blossoms.[67][68]

In 1997, the Japanese Michinoku Bank and arborer Kazio Saito planned to open a cherry blossom park in Wuhan City for the sake of the friendship between the two countries, and from the same year the Japanese city of Hirosaki, home to the Hirosaki Park famous for its cherry blossoms, began to advise Wuhan City on the planting and cultivation of cherry trees, and in 2016 Wuhan City and Hirosaki City signed a friendship agreement. East Lake Cherry Blossom Park opened in 2001, and 2.5 million people came to see the blossoms in 2018. There are sixty kinds of cherry trees, including Yoshino cherry and weeping cherry.[69][70]

International cherry blossoms Week in Wuxi began in the 1980s, when Keishiro Sakamoto and Kiyomi Hasegawa, Japanese citizens, planted 1,500 cherry trees in the China-Japan Friendship Cherry Blossom Forest. As of 2019, the Friendship Cherry Blossom Forest has become a cherry blossom viewing spot that attracts 500,000 cherry blossom viewers every year. As of 2019, there are 100 kinds of cherry trees in this forest.[71]

At the beginning of the 21st century, the popularity of cherry blossoms in China rapidly increased due to an increase in the number of visitors to Japan and the spread of SNS, and many cherry blossom viewers have visited many cherry blossom parks opened throughout China. According to statistics from 2019, the number of cherry blossoms-related tourists reached 340 million and the amount spent exceeded 60 billion yuan.[65]

Some notable cherry blossom sites in China include:

  • Longwangtang Cherry Blossom Park in Lushun, Dalian, Liaoning
  • East Lake Cherry Blossom Park near Wuhan University, in Donghu District, Wuhan, Hubei
  • Wuhan University, in Donghu District, Wuhan, Hubei
  • Nanshan Botanical Garden in Nan'an District, Chongqing
  • Pingba Cherry Blossom Park in Guizhou
  • Yuantouzhu in Wuxi

France
Blooming cherry blossom trees in Parc de Sceaux, France

Parc de Sceaux, located in a suburb of Paris, has two orchards of cherry trees, one for white cherry blossoms (Prunus avium) and one for pink cherry blossoms (Prunus serrulata), the latter with about 150 trees that attract many visitors when they bloom in early April.

Germany
Cherry blossoms on Breite Strasse in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

The cherry blossom is a major tourist attraction in Germany's Altes Land orchard region. The largest Hanami in Germany, in Hamburg, with Japanese-style fireworks, organized by the German-Japanese society, draws tens of thousands of spectators every spring. Starting in 2015, Hamburg will be allowed to bestow the title of "Cherry Blossom Queen" by the Japan Cherry Blossom Association, one of only three cities worldwide to receive this privilege. The first Cherry Blossom Queen of Hamburg will be crowned by the Cherry Blossom Queen of Japan on 23 May.[72]

In 1990, along prior sections of the Berlin Wall, Japan donated cherry blossoms to express appreciation for German reunification. The gift was supported by donations from the Japanese people allowing for over 9,000 trees to be planted. The first trees were planted in November of that year near the Glienicke Bridge.[73]

The Cherry Blossom festival in the Bonn Altstadt is also very famous: Kirschblütenfest Bonn.

India
Prunus cerasoides is a wild Himalayan cherry tree, a common type of cherry blossom in India.

In India, the cherry blossom is an attraction as well, most notably in Himalayan states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim & northern districts of West Bengal namely Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling, along with tropical highlands of Garo Hills and Khasi Hills in Meghalaya where Prunus cerasoides is native to.[74] These states are notable for Prunus cerasoides trees called wild cherry blossom trees covering Himalayan foothills which blooms during the autumn months. They can also be seen in various British-era botanical gardens especially in Nilgiri Hills in the Western Ghats in southern India.[75][76] It blooms during the months of October and November in northern and northeastern India, while they bloom towards the end of August and into September in the southern India.[77]

Prunus cerasoides, called wild Himalayan cherry, Indian wild cherry, and sour cherry, is known in Hindi as padam, pajja, or padmakashtha.[74][78] Among Hindus in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, it is considered sacred and associated with Vishnu and Shiva.[79][80] During Maha Shivaratri, the leaves are used to make a wreath with wild citrus fruits and hung at the prayer altar. In addition, the leaves are also used as incense.[81][82] Unlike its cousin species in Japan and Korea, which flower in spring, Prunus cerasoides cherry trees flower during autumn.

Cherry blossom festivals in India are held during October–November when Prunus cerasoides blooms.[83] Shillong is notable for its cherry blossom festival during autumn.[84][85]

Indonesia

In Indonesia, cherry blossoms can be found in Cibodas Botanical Garden in West Java.[86]

Korea
Cherry blossoms at POSTECH, South Korea
Cherry blossom trees in a Korean campus.

Cherry trees have been used in Korea for a long time. It has been used in making bows and woodblocks (Palman Daejanggyeong). According to tradition, monks used wood from silver magnolias, white birches, and cherry trees from the Southern coast of the peninsula.[87][88] The origins of cherry blossoms in South Korea is contentious. The Japanese planted Yoshino cherry trees at Seoul's Changgyeonggung Palace and the viewing of cherry blossoms was introduced to Korea during Japanese rule.[89] The festivals continued even after the Japanese surrendered at the end of WWII but have been controversial, and many cherry trees were cut down to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Japanese surrender because they were seen as symbols of the occupation.[90][91] Yet Koreans continued to plant Yoshino cherry trees and festivals began attracting a wide range of tourists. Many Korean media assert that the Yoshino cherry is the same species as a Korean indigenous, endangered species called King cherry, whose mass production is still being studied.[92][93][94][95][96][97][98]

In 2007, a study conducted on the comparison of King cherry and Yoshino cherry concluded that these trees were categorized as distinct species.[99] In 2016, a study on DNA analyses suggested the independent origin between King cherry and yoshino cherry from each other.[100] In 2016, a new scientific name Cerasus × nudiflora was given to King cherry to distinguish it from Yoshino cherry (Prunus × yedoensis).[101] In Korea most of the places for cherry blossom festivals, including Yeouido and Jinhae, are still planted with Yoshino cherry trees.[102][103][104][105]

In Korea, cherry blossoms have the meaning of purity and beauty.[106]

Myanmar

Cherry blossoms are part of the attraction of the temperate regions of the country.[107] The town Pyin Oo Lwin, known as "The Land of Cherries", is famous for its cherry blossoms during the spring.[108][109] Some cherry trees, genetically modified to be able to survive in the tropical weather, were also planted in Yangon, the commercial capital, as a part of the friendship program with Japan.[110]

Netherlands
Sakura Amsterdamse Bos

In the year 2000, the Japan Women's Club (JWC) donated 400 cherry blossom trees to the city of Amstelveen. The trees have been planted in the cherry blossom park in the Amsterdamse Bos. A special detail is that every tree has a name — 200 trees have female Japanese names, and 200 trees have female Dutch names.

New Zealand
Cherry blossoms and water wheel in Hagley Park

Hagley Park is the largest urban open space in Christchurch, New Zealand and has many cherry blossom trees of several varieties.[111]

Taiwan

Typically found in mountainous areas, cherry blossoms are a popular attraction in Taiwan, with numerous specially tailored viewing tours. Among the most easily accessible and thus most popular locations for viewing them are Yangmingshan, in Taipei, and Wuling Farm, in Taichung.

Thailand

Cherry blossoms are found in Northern Thailand.[112]

Turkey
Cherry blossoms in Turkey. (Ankara/Dikmen Vâdisi, Spring 2016)

In 2005, Japanese cherry trees were presented by Japan to the Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanical Garden in Istanbul, Turkey. Each tree represents one sailor of the frigate Ertugrul which was a famous frigate of the Ottoman Turkish navy. On the way back from a goodwill visit to Japan in 1890 she ran into a typhoon and sank with a loss of 587 Ottoman Turkish sailors. That loss is remembered on every anniversary. The Japanese cherry trees represent the memory of those who died and provide remembrance.

United Kingdom

From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, Collingwood Ingram collected and studied Japanese cherry blossoms and created various cultivars such as Okame and Kursar. Ingram had Taihaku, a cultivar that had disappeared in Japan in the early 20th century, return to Japan.[113][13]

Cherry trees are widely cultivated in public and private gardens throughout the UK, where the climate is well suited to them. Batsford Arboretum in Gloucestershire (England), holds the national collection of Japanese village cherries, Sato-zakura Group.[114] Keele University in Staffordshire (England), has one of the UK's largest collections of flowering cherries, with more than 150 varieties.[115] The Royal Horticultural Society has given its prestigious Award of Garden Merit to many flowering cherry species and cultivars.[116]

In March 2020, in the first national lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic in England, the National Trust initiated the #BlossomWatch campaign, inspired by cherry blossom festivals in Japan.[117][118] The campaign encouraged people to share images of the first signs of Spring, in particular blossom, on lockdown walks.[119] The campaign was repeated in 2021 and 2022.[120][121]

United States
Cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C.

Japan gave 3,020 cherry blossom trees as a gift to the United States in 1912 to celebrate the growing friendship between the two countries, replacing an earlier gift of 2,000 trees that had to be destroyed due to disease in 1910. These trees were planted in Sakura Park in Manhattan and lined the shore of the Tidal Basin and the roadway in East Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. The first two original trees were planted by the first lady Helen Taft and Viscountess Chinda on the bank of the Tidal Basin. The gift was renewed with another 3,800 trees in 1965.[122][123] In Washington, D.C. the cherry blossom trees continue to be a popular tourist attraction (and the subject of the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival) when they reach full bloom in early spring.[124] Just outside of Washington, the suburb of Kenwood in Bethesda, Maryland, has roughly 1,200 trees that are popular with locals and tourists.[125]

New Jersey's Branch Brook Park, which is maintained by Essex County, is the oldest county park in the United States and is home to the largest collection of cherry blossom trees in one US location, with about 5,000.[126][127][128]

Balboa Park in San Diego has 1,000 cherry blossom trees that blossom in mid- to late March. In Los Angeles, over 2,000 trees are located at Lake Balboa in Van Nuys. These trees were donated by a Japanese benefactor and were planted in 1992.[129][130]

Philadelphia is home to over 2,000 flowering Japanese cherry trees, half of which were a gift from the Japanese government in 1926 in honor of the 150th anniversary of American independence, with the other half planted by the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia between 1998 and 2007. Philadelphia's cherry blossoms are located within Fairmount Park, and the annual Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia celebrates the blooming trees. The University of Washington in Seattle also has cherry blossoms in its quad.

Other US cities have an annual cherry blossom festival (or sakura matsuri), including the International Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon, Georgia, which features over 300,000 cherry trees. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York City also has a large, well-attended festival.[131] Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is the site of the peace conference that produced the Treaty of Portsmouth, for which the original Washington, D.C. cherry trees were given in thanks. Several cherry trees planted on the bank of the tidal pond next to Portsmouth City Hall were the gift of Portsmouth's Japanese sister city of Nichinan—the hometown of Marquis Komura Jutarō, Japan's representative at the conference.[132] Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, has 200 somei yoshino trees, a gift from its sister institution, Japan's Chubu University.[133]

Culinary use
Pickled blossoms
A cup of sakurayu

Cherry blossoms and leaves are edible and both are used as food ingredients in Japan:

  • The blossoms are pickled in salt and umezu (ume vinegar), and used for coaxing out flavor in wagashi, (a traditional Japanese confectionery,) or anpan, (a Japanese sweet bun, most-commonly filled with red bean paste).
  • Salt-pickled blossoms in hot water are called sakurayu, and drunk at festive events like weddings in place of green tea.
  • The leaves, mostly from the Ōshima cherry because of the softness, are also pickled in salted water and used for sakuramochi.
  • The fruit, the sakuranbo, is small and does not have much flesh beyond the seed within. Due to their bitter taste, the sakuranbo should not be eaten raw, or whole; the seed inside should be removed and the fruit itself processed as preserves.

Since the leaves contain coumarin, which is toxic in large doses, it is not recommended to eat them in great quantities. Likewise, the seeds should not be eaten.

  • BC Legislative Building with cherry trees in bloom, Victoria, British Columbia
  • Cherry blossoms in Canada, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
  • Spring cherry blossoms at the university campus, Vancouver, Canada
  • Cherry Tree Blossoms at Camosun College, Greater Victoria, British Columbia
  • Cherry blossoms at Hamilton, Canada
  • Cherry blossoms. Eastern Siberia
  • Cherry blossom at Osaka Castle
  • Cherry blossom at Mount Yoshino
  • Cherry blossom, Jinlong Mountain, Taiwan.
  • Thousands of people attend the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival every spring in Washington, D.C.

See also
  • The Cherry Orchard: play by Anton Chekhov
  • Cherry Tree Park
  • Kabazaiku: sakura wood craftsmanship
  • Kigo: discussion of the role of sakura in Japanese poetry
  • List of Award of Garden Merit flowering cherries
  • Ohka: Special Attack Aircraft of World War II
  • Saigyōzakura
  • Sakura Square
  • Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia
  • The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival

References
  1. "Origins of Japanese flowering cherry (Prunus subgenus Cerasus) cultivars revealed using nuclear SSR markers". Shuri Kato, Asako Matsumoto, Kensuke Yoshimura, Toshio Katsuki etc. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  2. "Origins of Japanese flowering cherry (Prunus subgenus Cerasus) cultivars revealed using nuclear SSR markers". Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute. 16 June 2014. Archived from the original on 9 March 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  3. Toshio Katsuki. (2018) Sakura no Kagaku (Science of Cherry Blossoms). pp.40–42 SB Creative. ISBN 978-4797389319
  4. Toshio Katsuki. (2015) Sakura. pp.14–18 Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 978-4004315346
  5. The history and cultural symbolism of both the seven wild species and the hundreds of forms known for centuries as sato-zakura, or garden cherries and information about growing and propagating is found in Kuitert, Wybe (6 March 2015). "Japanese Flowering Cherries". Timber Press.
  6. Honoca. "The beauty and history of sakura, Japan's national flower". Tsunagu Japa. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  7. "Are cherry trees native to countries other than Japan?". The Flower Association of Japan. Archived from the original on 5 August 2014.
  8. "Basic knowledge of cherry blossoms". JAPAN Cherry Blossom Association.
  9. "STUDIES ON THE HISTORY OF FLOWERING CHERRY--《Journal of Nanjing Forestry University》1982年02期". en.cnki.com.cn. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  10. Toshio Katsuki. (2015) Sakura. p.122 Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 978-4004315346
  11. Toshio Katsuki. (2018) Sakura no Kagaku (Science of Cherry Blossoms). pp.160–161 SB Creative. ISBN 978-4797389319
  12. Toshio Katsuki. (2015) Sakura. pp.86–95 p.106 pp.166–168 Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 978-4004315346
  13. Toshio Katsuki. (2015) Sakura. pp.119–123 Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 978-4004315346
  14. Toshio Katsuki. (2015) Sakura. pp.32–37 Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 978-4004315346
  15. Toshio Katsuki. (2015) Sakura. pp.40–56 Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 978-4004315346
  16. Japan’s Kyoto cherry blossoms peak on the earliest date in 1,200 years, a sign of climate change. The Washington Post. March 30, 2021,
  17. Cherry blossom phenology and temperature reconstructions at Kyoto. Yasuyuki Aono. Osaka Prefecture University.
  18. Brooklyn Botanic Garden (2006). Mizue Sawano: The Art of the Cherry Tree. Brooklyn Botanic Garden. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-889538-25-9.
  19. Toshio Katsuki. (2015) Sakura. pp.2–7 pp.156–160 Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 978-4004315346
  20. Toshio Katsuki. (2015) Sakura. pp.178–182. Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 978-4004315346
  21. Toshio Katsuki (2015). Sakura p.93 pp.103–104. Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 978-4004315346
  22. Toshio Katsuki. (2015) Sakura. pp.115–119 Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 978-4004315346
  23. "5 Places to See Japan's (Very Real) Winter Cherry Blossoms". GaijinPot Travel. Gaijin Pot. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  24. "Japan's Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots – GoJapanGo (English language version of list)". Japan's Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots – GoJapanGo. Mi Marketing Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  25. Choy Lee, Khoon. Japan—between Myth and Reality. 1995, page 142.
  26. Young, John, and Nakajima-Okano, Kimiko. Learn Japanese: New College Text. 1985, page 268.
  27. Slaymaker, Douglas. The Body in Postwar Japanese Fiction. 2004, page 122.
  28. James L. McClain, Japan: A Modern History p 414 ISBN 0-393-04156-5
  29. Ohnuki-Tierney, Emiko. Kamikaze, Cherry Blossoms, and Nationalisms. 2002, page 9-10.
  30. Piers Brendon, The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s, p441 ISBN 0-375-40881-9
  31. James L. McClain, Japan: A Modern History p 427 ISBN 0-393-04156-5
  32. John Toland, The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire 1936–1945 p 539 Random House New York 1970
  33. Meirion and Susie Harries, Soldiers of the Sun: The Rise and Fall of the Imperial Japanese Army p 424 ISBN 0-394-56935-0
  34. Sakamoto, Kerri: One Hundred Million Hearts. Vintage Book, 2004. ISBN 0-676-97512-7.
  35. Ivan Morris, The Nobility of Failure: Tragic Heroes in the History of Japan, p290 Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1975
  36. "Cherry Blossom Tattoo Designs". Freetattoodesigns.org. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  37. "小山市の花、木、鳥". Oyama City. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  38. Brandow Samuels, Gayle.
  39. Variety of cherry blossom. Hibiya-Kadan.
  40. General Incorporated Association Kitakyushu Ryokka Kyokai.
  41. Toshio Katsuki. (2015) Sakura. p137 Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 978-4004315346
  42. Kato, Shuri; Matsumoto, Asako; Yoshimura, Kensuke; Katsuki, Toshio; Iwamoto, Kojiro; Kawahara, Takayuki; Mukai, Yuzuru; Tsuda, Yoshiaki; Ishio, Shogo; Nakamura, Kentaro; Moriwaki, Kazuo; Shiroishi, Toshihiko; Gojobori, Takashi; Yoshimaru, Hiroshi (2014). "Origins of Japanese flowering cherry (Prunus subgenus Cerasus) cultivars revealed using nuclear SSR markers" (PDF). Tree Genetics & Genomes. 10 (3): 477–487. doi:10.1007/s11295-014-0697-1. S2CID 18606833. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  43. Kato, Shuri; Matsumoto, Asako; Yoshimura, Kensuke; Katsuki, Toshio; Iwamoto, Kojiro; Tsuda, Yoshiaki; Ishio, Shogo; Nakamura, Kentaro; Moriwaki, Kazuo; Shiroishi, Toshihiko; Gojobori, Takashi; Yoshimaru, Hiroshi (2012). "Clone identification in Japanese flowering cherry (Prunus subgenus Cerasus) cultivars using nuclear SSR markers". Breeding Science. 62 (3): 248–255. doi:10.1270/jsbbs.62.248. PMC 3501942. PMID 23226085.
  44. サクラ栽培品種の分類体系の再編とデータベース化 (PDF) (in Japanese).
  45. 桜の新しい系統保全 ―形質・遺伝子・病害研究に基づく取組― (PDF) (in Japanese). Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute Tama Forest Science Garden. ISBN 978-4-905304-19-7.
  46. "The observation of flowering dates in the Cherry Preservation Forest at the Tama Forest Science Garden over a 30 year period" (PDF). Bulletin of FFPRI (in Japanese). 10 (l): 7–48. March 2011.
  47. Toshio Katsuki (2017). Classification and morphological identification of cherry trees (サクラの分類と形態による同定). pp.96-97
  48. Toshio Katsuki (2015). Sakura pp.86-95. p.137. Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 978-4004315346
  49. Toshio Katsuki. (2015) Sakura. pp.40–45 Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 978-4004315346
  50. Toshio Katsuki. (2015) Sakura. pp.98–100 Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 978-4004315346
  51. Toshio Katsuki. (2015) Sakura. pp.86–87 Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 978-4004315346
  52. Toshio Katsuki. (2015) Sakura. pp.86–95 p.104 Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 978-4004315346
  53. Nishina Zao. Riken.
  54. A new kind of cherry blossum. Riken.
  55. Toshio Katsuki. (2015) Sakura p.107 Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 978-4004315346
  56. "Festa da Cerejeira em Garça recebe mais de 150 mil visitantes" (in Portuguese). TV TEM. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  57. "Festa da Cerejeira em Flor 2014 celebra a Cultura do Japão em Campos do Jordão" (in Portuguese). Guia de Campos do Jordão. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  58. "Cerejeiras enfeitam cidade no norte do Paraná" (in Portuguese). Jornal Nacional. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  59. "Cerejeiras enfeitam Cascavel" (in Portuguese). Globo Vídeos. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  60. "Temporada das Cerejeiras em Curitiba" (in Portuguese). Diário Urbano. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  61. "Novo colorido em parques e praças" (in Portuguese). Prefeitura de Curitiba. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  62. "Japan Square". Prefeitura de Curitiba. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  63. "Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival – VCBF.CA". vcbf.ca. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  64. "10 Best Places to Enjoy Cherry Blossoms in China". www.careerchina.com. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  65. Nobuhiko Tanaka (2021) Why do Chinese people come to view cherry blossoms? Chinese people rediscovered cherry blossoms through Japan. NEC. March 24, 2021.
  66. Why Japanese-style cherry blossom viewing and cherry blossom viewing spots are on the rise in China. Diamond online. March 24, 2021
  67. Wuhan City delegation to learns about cherry blossom management in Hirosaki Park. The Mutsu Shimpo. April 27, 2018.
  68. China Now (24). Nishinippon Shimbun. April 17, 2017.
  69. China’s East Lake Cherry Blossom Gaeden sweat and tears of the unsung hero from Aomori. From Aomori in Japan-Local News & Article Site. May 1, 2019.
  70. Cherry Blossom Spots. p.19.
  71. Wuxi International Cherry Blossoms Week. Cherry blossoms promote friendship between China and Japan. Agence France-Presse. March 27, 2019
  72. "Aktuelles aus der Gesellschaft". Deutsch-Japanische Gesellschaft zu Hamburg e.V. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  73. "The Sakura Campaign – The State of Berlin". Berlin.de. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  74. Navendu Pāgé. "Cerasus cerasoids – Wild Himalayan Cherry". Flowers of India. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  75. "efloraofindia species rosaceae prunus". efloraofindia.
  76. "Cherry Blossoms in Shillong". mapsofindia.com.
  77. Prunus cerasoides by Divya Chandran, 2019 https://thepapyrus.in/index.php/sakura-magic-in-the-nilgiris-wild-cherry-blossom-pollachi-papyrus/
  78. "Prunus cerasoides". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  79. Trees In Indian Art Mythology And Folklore, Bansi Lal Malla (2000), p.56
  80. Joseph, Nino. "Prunus cerasoides D. Don: A Review on Its Ethnomedicinal Uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology". researchgate. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review and Research. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  81. Verma, Shruti. "Celebrating Shivratri the Pahari style". himvani.com. himvani.com. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  82. Jishtu, Vaneet. "Padmakh (Pajja) – An Amazing Native Autumn Flowering Tree From Shimla Hills". hillpost.in. hillpost.in. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  83. Ananda Banerjee (11 November 2016). "Cherry blossom festival". Livemint. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  84. Precious Kamei. "Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival". outlookindia. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  85. Shradha Shahani (2 November 2018). "Cherry blossom festival takes place this month". cntraveller. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  86. "Cherry blossom lures visitors to Cibodas Botanical Garden". thejakartapost.com. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  87. "A History of Tripitaka Koreana, the World's Greatest Collection of Buddhist Scriptures". 20 January 2017.
  88. 팔만대장경을 만들어 낸 우리나무, 벚나무 [cherry tree which made the Palman Daejanggyeong] (in Korean).
  89. 가슴과 어깨에 벚꽃을 꽂고 희생 다짐하는 18세 조종사 (in Korean). Joongang. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
  90. Ohnuki-Tierney, Emiko. Kamikaze, Cherry Blossoms, and Nationalisms. 2002, page 122-3.
  91. Choi Sung-Un (2008). "Biting the cherry: Cherry blossoms and their attendant festivals herald the spring in Korea despite associations with a dark chapter with the country's history". IK-Journal. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2009.
  92. "포트맥 강변의 왕벚나무도 제주도산" [King cherry around Potmac river derived from Jeju]. Chosun.com. 7 February 2017. 두 나라에서 발견된 왕벚나무는 유전적으로 동일합니다[Cherry trees found in both countries are genetically identical]
  93. "전국 봄꽃 축제 어디로 갈까?" [National spring flower Festival, Where to go?]. Dong-a Ilbo. 23 March 2017.
  94. "왕벚꽃 100년 논란 "제주가 진짜 원산지"" [King cherry 100 years controversy "Jeju is the real origin"]. Yonhapnews. 26 March 2017.
  95. "광복 70년•수교 50년 제주와 일본을 말하다/제1부 제주 왕벚의 세계화](3)대량생산 전초기지" [70 years liberation, 50 years diplomatic relations: Jeju and Japan story / Part 1. Globalization of King cherry of Jeju] (3) Outpost of Mass production]. Halla Ilbo. 23 March 2015. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  96. Korean Red List of Threatened Species Second Edition (PDF). National Institute of Biological Resources. 2014. p. 156. Prunus × yedoensis Matsumura, Rosales: Rosaceae, Prunus × yedoensis is a deciduous tree endemic to Korea that only about 5 populations occur at Mt. Halla in Jeju-do. The estimated number of individuals is very small. This species is found in deciduous broadleaf forests at 450–900 m above sea level. The species is assessed as EN B2ab(iv). There are currently no regional conservation measures.
  97. Kim, Chan-Soo (2009). "Vascular Plant Diversity of Jeju Island, Korea" (PDF). Korean Journal of Plant Resources. 22 (6): 558～570.
  98. 몰락한 왕조 궁궐에 핀 사쿠라 일제는 갔어도 벚꽃놀이는 남아 (in Korean). 中央日報. 19 April 2009. Retrieved 11 May 2009.
  99. Roh, M.S.; Cheong, E.J.; Choi, I-Y; Young, Y.H. (2007). "Characterization of wild Prunus yedoensis analyzed by inter-simple sequence repeat and chloroplast DNA". Scientia Horticulturae. 114 (2): 121–128. doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2007.06.005.
  100. Cho, Myong-suk; et al. (2016). "The origin of flowering cherry on oceanic islands: The saga continues in Jeju Island". Botany. Archived from the original on 2 April 2017.
  101. Katsuki, Toshio; et al. (December 2016). "Nomenclature of Tokyo cherry (Cerasus × yedoensis 'Somei-yoshino', Rosaceae) and allied interspecific hybrids based on recent advances in population genetics". Taxon. 65 (6): 1415–1419. doi:10.12705/656.13.
  102. "벚꽃 '한-일 원산지 논쟁' 왜 끝나지 않나" [Cherry "Korea-Japan origin controversy" Why does not end?] (in Korean). Hankyoreh. 3 April 2015. 여의도와 진해를 포함해 우리나라 벚꽃축제의 주인공은 모두 일본이 원예종 으로 만든 왕벚나무이다. [The protagonists of Cherry Blossom Festivals in Korea including Yeouido and Jinhae are all cultivated Yoshino cherry made in Japan.]
  103. "[단독]여의도 화려한 벚꽃뒤엔…일본 검은 속셈 있었나" [Behind the brilliant Japanese cherry blossom – Dark ulterior motives?] (in Korean). Segye.com. 22 January 2008. ... From 1966 until the mid-1980s, Koreans in Japan and Japanese people donated about 60,000 cherry seedlings to Jinhae City.
  104. "때되면 한-일 원산지 논쟁, 벚꽃에게 물어봐!" [Korea-Japan Origin debate. Ask cherry!]. The Hankyoreh. 3 April 2015.
  105. "한라산 자생 우수품종 왕벚나무로 일본산 대체한다" [Replace Japanese trees with the excellent varieties of King cherry trees native to Mt. Halla]. Yonhapnews. 4 April 2017.
  106. "Cherry Blossom". naver dictionary.
  107. "5 Most Beautiful Myanmar Flowers | Sanctum Inle Resort". sanctum-inle-resort.com. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  108. "Pyin Oo Lwin Myanmar's Highland City of Flowers". www.pyinoolwin.info. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  109. "Beautiful Weather and cherry blossom season – Review of Maymyo Botanical Garden (National Kandawgyi Park), Pyin Oo Lwin (Maymyo), Myanmar". TripAdvisor. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  110. "Japanese cherry tree begins to blossom at Yangon Region Hluttaw". Global New Light Of Myanmar. 8 February 2019. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  111. "Spring blossoms in Hagley Park Christchurch". New Zealand Travel Insider. 16 August 2015.
  112. "Northern Thailand's Own Sakura Cherry Blossoms". Siam and Beyond. 11 January 2014.
  113. Toshio Katsuki. (2018) Sakura no Kagaku (Science of Cherry Blossoms). pp.166–169 SB Creative. ISBN 978-4797389319
  114. "Batsford Arboretum". Batsarb.co.uk. Retrieved 30 November 2009.
  115. "Keele University Arboretum flowering cherry collection". keele.ac.uk. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  116. "AGM Plants – Ornamental" (PDF). www.rhs.org. Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 67. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  117. Bawden, Tom (27 March 2020). "National Trust asks public to take a moment to enjoy the blossom". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  118. "Blossom watch". National Trust. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  119. "Blossom watch day: National Trust urges UK to share blooms". the Guardian. 24 April 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  120. Jenkins, Bethan Rose (18 March 2021). "National Trust's BlossomWatch campaign to help boost wellbeing is back". Good Housekeeping. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  121. "The National Trust wants you to go outside and enjoy the spring blossoms". The Independent. 23 April 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  122. "nps.gov – Cherry Blossom History". Retrieved 13 January 2009.
  123. Jefferson, Roland M. and Alan F. Fusonie. (1977). "The Japanese Flowering Cherry Trees of Washington, D.C.: A Living Symbol of Friendship. National Arboretum Contribution No. 4." Washington: USDA, Agricultural Research Service.
  124. "The Nation's Greatest Springtime Celebration". National Cherry Blossom Festival. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  125. Block, Deborah. "Spectacular Cherry Blossoms in Maryland Lure International Visitors". VOA. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  126. "Student scientists track nation's largest collection of cherry blossom trees at Essex County park". The Star-Ledger. 13 August 2010. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  127. Hinds, Kate (25 March 2012). "Cherry Blossom Trees Flourish in Newark". WNYC. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  128. Di Ionno, Mark (27 March 2016). "The story behind Branch Brook Park's cherry blossom trees". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  129. Barragan, Bianca (1 October 2015). "Lake Balboa's Famous Cherry Blossom Trees Are Dying Off". Curbed LA. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  130. "Lake Balboa's cherry trees fall victim to drought". Daily News. 30 September 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  131. "BBG.org". BBG.org. 26 April 2008. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  132. Stephanie Seacord. "Cherry trees have historical significance". SeacoastOnline.com. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  133. "Ohio University Outlook". Ohio.edu. Archived from the original on 1 March 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Cherry blossoms (category)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.