Cherry blossom

Classifying cherry trees is often confusing, since they are relatively prone to mutation and have diverse flowers and characteristics, and many varieties (a sub-classification of species), hybrids between species, and cultivars exist. Researchers have assigned different scientific names to the same type of cherry tree throughout different periods. In China and Russia, where there are many more wild cherry species than in Europe, Cerasus continues to be used as a genus. , a species of cherry tree that has given rise to many cultivars A culture of plum blossom viewing has existed in mainland China since ancient times, and although cherry trees have many wild species, most of them had small flowers, and the distribution of wild cherry trees with large flowers suitable for cherry blossom viewing was limited. Because cherry trees have mutable traits, many cultivars have been created for cherry blossom viewing, especially in Japan. Since the Heian period, the Japanese have produced cultivars by selecting superior or mutant trees from among the natural crossings of wild cherry trees. They were also produced by crossing trees artificially and then breeding them by grafting and cutting. Oshima, Yamazakura, Prunus pendula f. ascendens (syn, Prunus itosakura, Edo higan), and other varieties which grow naturally in Japan, mutate easily. The Oshima cherry, which is an endemic species in Japan, tends to mutate into a double-flowered tree, grows quickly, has many large flowers, and has a strong fragrance. Due to these favorable characteristics, the Oshima cherry has been used as a base for many Sakura cultivars (called the Sato-zakura Group). Two such cultivars are the Yoshino cherry and Kanzan; Yoshino cherries are actively planted in Asian countries, and Kanzan is actively planted in Western countries. == Hanami: Flower viewing in Japan ==

and cherry blossom from Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji by Hiroshige. 1858. is the many centuries-old practice of holding feasts or parties under blooming sakura ( or ; or ) or (; ) trees. During the Nara period (710–794), when the custom is said to have begun, it was blossoms that people admired. By the Heian period (794–1185), however, cherry blossoms were attracting more attention, and was synonymous with . From then on, in both and haiku, meant "cherry blossoms," as implied by one of Izumi Shikibu's poems. 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 trees, people held cheerful feasts where they ate, and drank sake. At the same time, the most popular cherry cultivar, Yoshino cherry, is increasingly being replaced for a variety of reasons. This cultivar is particularly susceptible to Witch's broom disease, and the Japan Flower Association had already ceased its distribution and sale by 2009. In addition, because it grows quickly into a large tree with a wide, spreading crown and extensive root system, it can damage surrounding pavement, extend branches into neighboring properties, and is generally unsuitable as a street tree in narrow urban spaces. Poor maintenance and aging have also led to reduced flowering in many trees, along with an increased risk of falling dead branches. As a result, there has been a growing trend to replace Yoshino cherry with 'Jindai-akebono', a cultivar originating from Jindai Botanical Garden, which has a similar flower shape, size, and overall tree form, but is more resistant to disease, remains smaller, and bears slightly deeper pink flowers. Since 2009, tracking of the sakura zensen has been largely taken over by private forecasting companies, with the JMA switching to focus only on data collection that than forecasting. The blossoming begins in Okinawa in January and typically reaches Kyoto and Tokyo at the beginning of April, though recent years have trended towards earlier flowerings near the end of March. It proceeds northward and into areas of higher altitude, arriving in Hokkaido a few weeks later. Japanese locals, in addition to overseas tourists, pay close attention to these forecasts. The Japan Cherry Blossom Association has published a list of Japan's Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots (), with at least one location in every prefecture. == Blooming season ==

, a cultivar propagated through grafting, consistently reaches full bloom simultaneously between individuals if under the same environmental conditions. Many cherry species and cultivars bloom between March and April in the Northern Hemisphere. Wild cherry trees, even if they are the same species, differ genetically from one individual to another. Even if they are planted in the same area, there is some variation in the time when they reach full bloom. In contrast, cultivars are clones propagated by grafting or cutting, so each tree of the same cultivar planted in the same area will come into full bloom all at once due to their genetic similarity. Some wild species, such as Edo higan and the cultivars developed from them, are in full bloom before the leaves open. Yoshino cherry became popular for cherry-blossom viewing because of these characteristics of simultaneous flowering and blooming before the leaves open; it also bears many flowers and grows into a large tree. Many cultivars of the Sato-zakura group, which were developed from complex interspecific hybrids based on Oshima cherry, are often used for ornamental purposes. They generally reach full bloom a few days to two weeks after Yoshino cherry does. Japanese cherry trees grown in the Southern Hemisphere bloom at a different time of the year. For example, in Australia, while the trees in the Cowra Japanese Garden bloom in late September to mid-October, the Sydney cherry blossom festival is in late August. There's an escalating concern of climate change as it poses a threat to sakura cultivars, given that they are highly susceptible to shifts in temperature and weather fluctuations. The changes, driven by climate change including warmer temperatures earlier in the springtime, may disrupt the timing of their blooms and potentially lead to reduced flowering and impact cultural significance. In 2023, in China that cherry blossoms have been observed to reach peak bloom weeks earlier than previously, a few decades ago. Similarly, data from Kyoto, Japan, and Washington, D.C., United States, also indicated that blooming periods are occurring earlier in those locations. Although precise forecasting is generally challenging, AI predictions from Japan Meteorological Agency, have suggested that without substantial efforts to rein in climate change, the Somei-Yoshino cherry tree variety could face significant challenges and even the risk of disappearing entirely from certain parts of Japan, including Miyazaki, Nagasaki, and Kagoshima prefectures in the Kyushu region by 2100. == Symbolism in Japan ==

depicting cherry blossoms Cherry blossoms are a frequent topic in waka composition, where they commonly symbolize impermanence. Cherry blossoms frequently appear in Japanese art, manga, anime, and film, as well as stage set designs for musical performances. There is at least one popular folk song, originally meant for the shakuhachi (bamboo flute), titled "Sakura", in addition to several later pop songs bearing the name. The flower is also used on all manner of historical and contemporary consumer goods, including kimonos, stationery, and dishware. Mono no aware The traditional symbolism of cherry blossoms as a metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life is associated with the influence of Shinto, embodied in the concept of (the pathos of things). The connection between cherry blossoms and mono no aware dates back to 18th-century scholar Motoori Norinaga. During World War II, cherry blossoms were used as a symbol to motivate the Japanese people and stoke nationalism and militarism. The Japanese proverb hana wa sakuragi, hito wa bushi ("the best blossom is the cherry blossom, the best man is a warrior") was evoked in the Imperial Japanese Army as a motivation during the war. Even before the war, cherry blossoms 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". In 1894, Sasaki Nobutsuna composed a poem, Shina seibatsu no uta (The Song of the Conquest of the Chinese) to coincide with the First Sino-Japanese War. The poem compares falling cherry blossoms to the sacrifice of Japanese soldiers who fall in battles for their country and emperor. In 1932, Akiko Yosano's poetry urged Japanese soldiers to endure suffering in China and compared the dead soldiers to cherry blossoms. 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". The last message of the forces on Peleliu was "Sakura, Sakura". Japanese pilots would paint sakura flowers on the sides of their planes before embarking on a suicide mission, or even take branches of the trees with them on their missions. in this way, falling cherry petals came to represent the sacrifice of youth in suicide missions to honor the emperor. The first kamikaze unit had a subunit called Yamazakura, or wild cherry blossom. The team is known as the "Brave Blossoms" (), and has had their current logo since 1952. The cherry blossom is also seen in the logo of the Japan Cricket Association and the Japan national American football team. Cherry blossoms are a prevalent symbol in irezumi, the traditional art of Japanese tattoos. In this art form, cherry blossoms are often combined with other classic Japanese symbols like koi fish, dragons, or tigers. The cherry blossom remains symbolic today. It was used for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics mascot, Someity. It is also a common way to indicate the start of spring, such as in the Animal Crossing series of video games, where many of the game's trees are flowering cherries. == Cultivars ==

", a tree of species Prunus itosakura that is over 1,000 years old in 1954 Japan has a wide diversity of cherry trees, including hundreds of cultivars. By one classification method, there are more than 600 cultivars in Japan, while the Tokyo Shimbun claims that there are 800. 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 that have spread around the world are hybrids produced by crossing Oshima cherry and Prunus jamasakura (Yamazakura) with various wild species. • Prunus apetala (Clove Cherry) • ''Prunus campanulata • Prunus × furuseana (P. incisa × P. jamasakura) • Prunus × incam (P. incisa × P. campanulata) • Prunus incisa var. incisa (Prunus verecunda'') • Prunus × miyoshii • Prunus padus • Prunus × parvifolia (P. incisa × P. speciosa'' All wild cherry trees produce small, unpalatable fruit or edible cherries, however, some cultivars have structural modifications to render the plant unable to naturally reproduce. For example, and , which originated from the Oshima cherry, have a modified pistil that develops into a leaf-like structure, and can only be propagated by artificial methods such as grafting and cutting. Cherry trees grown for their fruit are generally cultivars of the related species Prunus avium, Prunus cerasus, and Prunus fruticosa. == Cultivation by country ==

in Stockholm, Sweden In the present day, ornamental cherry blossom trees are distributed and cultivated worldwide. While flowering cherry trees were historically present in Europe, North America, Philippines, and China, have been developed from Japanese hybrids. The global distribution of ornamental cherry trees, along with flower viewing festivals or hanami, largely started in the early 20th century, often as gifts from Japan. However, some regions have historically cultivated their own native species of flowering cherry trees, a notable variety of which is the Himalayan wild cherry tree Prunus cerasoides. == The origin of wild cherry species ==

'' in West Java, Indonesia The wild Himalayan cherry, Prunus cerasoides, is native to the Himalayan region of Asia, and is common in countries such as Nepal, India, Bhutan, and Myanmar, where it is also cultivated. In 1975, three Japanese researchers proposed a theory that cherry trees originated in the Himalayan region and spread eastwards to reach Japan at a time before human civilisation, when the Japanese archipelago was connected to the Eurasian continent, and that cherry species differentiation was actively promoted in Japan. According to Masataka Somego, a professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture, cherry trees originated 10 million years ago in what is now Nepal and later differentiated in the Japanese archipelago, giving rise to species unique to Japan. According to the Kazusa DNA Research Institute, detailed DNA research has shown that the Prunus itosakura and the Prunus speciosa, which is endemic to Japan, differentiated into independent species 5.52 million years ago. '' On the other hand, according to Ko Shimamoto, a professor at Nara Institute of Science and Technology, modern theories based on detailed DNA research reject the theory that the Himalayan cherry tree is the root of the Japanese cherry tree, and the ancestor of the cherry tree is estimated to be a plant belonging to the Prunus grayana. According to HuffPost, it is a widely held consensus that the origin of the first cherry blossoms happened somewhere in the Himalayas, Eurasia but scholars posit that the blossoms may have reached Japan around several thousand years ago. In Japan, centuries of hybridization have brought about more than 300 varieties of the cherry blossom. == Culinary use ==

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), The pickling method, known as , is said to date back to the end of the Edo period, though the general method of pickling vegetables in salt to produce tsukemono has been known as early as the Jōmon period. • Salt-pickled blossoms in hot water are called sakurayu and drunk at festive events like weddings in place of green tea. • The leaves are pickled in salted water and used for sakuramochi. • Cherry blossoms are used as a flavoring botanical in Japanese Roku gin. Toxicity Cherry leaves and blossoms contain coumarin, which is potentially hepatotoxic and is banned in high doses by the Food and Drug Administration. However, coumarin has a desirable vanilla-like scent, and the salt curing process used prior to most culinary applications, which involves washing, drying, and salting the blossoms or leaves for a full day, reduces the concentration of coumarin to acceptable levels while preserving its scent. pipe tobacco, or as an adulterant in vanilla flavorings, though the tonka bean is a more common natural source of this chemical. Cherry seeds and bark contain amygdalin and should not be eaten. == See also ==