Cherry blossom

Pink flowers grow on cherry trees.

These flowers are called sakura. They can smell like vanilla.

Many of these trees come from Japan. Some trees are very old. One tree is 2,000 years old! People have parties under the trees. They call this flower viewing. They eat and drink under the pink blooms. It is a very happy time.

Cherry blossoms are the flowers of cherry trees. In Japan, people call them sakura. These flowers often have a scent like vanilla.

Many sakura come from the Oshima cherry. This tree is native to Japan. It grows fast and has large flowers.

People make new types of trees by grafting. Grafting is a way to grow a new tree from a part of an old one. This helps them make trees that look the same.

In Japan, people enjoy hanami. Hanami means flower viewing. People hold parties under the blooming trees. They eat and drink together.

Some sakura trees are very old. One tree is about 2,000 years old! As the weather gets warm, the blossoms move north. People track this bloom front every year. This helps them know when to see the flowers.

Cherry blossoms, often called sakura, are the beautiful flowers of trees in the Prunus subgenus Cerasus.

These flowers are famous for their lovely, vanilla-like scent. This smell comes from a substance called coumarin. While many wild species live in the Northern Hemisphere, they are most common in East Asia. Japan is a special place for these trees. People there have grown many different varieties over a long time. Most of the trees you see in parks are cultivars. A cultivar is a type of tree grown for its looks rather than its fruit.

Creating these beautiful trees is a careful way of working with nature. To make a good cultivar, people look for wild trees with special traits. One great example is the Oshima cherry, which is native to Japan. This tree grows very fast and has large, fragrant flowers. It also changes easily into trees with double flowers.

Since the 14th century, people have used these traits to make the Cerasus Sato-zakura Group. Today, gardeners mostly use a method called grafting. Grafting is when you join parts of different trees together. This helps them quickly grow new trees that look exactly like the original ones.

Watching the flowers bloom is a very old tradition in Japan called hanami.

This custom of flower viewing began during the Nara period between the years 710 and 794. At first, only the elite people at the Imperial Court admired the blossoms. Later, the tradition spread to samurai and then to all common people. During the Edo period, a leader named Tokugawa Yoshimune planted many trees to encourage everyone to enjoy them. People hold cheerful feasts and parties under the blooming branches. They eat and drink together while they enjoy the view.

Some of these trees are truly amazing and very old.

The Prunus itosakura species grows slowly but lives for a very long time. Some of these trees are seen as sacred landmarks at temples or shrines. One famous tree is about 2,000 years old. Another is around 1,500 years old, and a third is about 1,000 years old. In the early 20th century, cherry trees began to spread to Europe and the United States. This happened after Japan gave trees to the U.S. as a sign of friendship in 1912. A British collector named Collingwood Ingram also studied these trees after the First World War.

Today, people still watch the flowers with great excitement every year.

As the weather gets warmer, the bloom front moves north through Japan. It usually starts in Okinawa in January and reaches Tokyo in early April. People follow nightly forecasts to see when the flowers will arrive. Some trees, like the popular Yoshino cherry, are being replaced by new types. This is because the Yoshino cherry can get sick or damage sidewalks with its large roots. New types like 'Jindai-akebono' or 'Yoko' are being planted instead. These new trees are often stronger or grow to a better size for cities.

Cherry blossoms, known as sakura, are the flowers of trees within the Prunus subgenus Cerasus.

While many wild species are distributed across the Northern Hemisphere, they are most common in East Asia. In Japan, these trees have been cultivated for centuries to create many different varieties. Most ornamental cherry trees found in parks are cultivars. A cultivar is a plant variety produced by human selection for specific traits, such as appearance. These flowers are often described as having a vanilla-like scent. This fragrance is primarily attributed to a chemical compound called coumarin.

Creating these specific varieties is a precise biological process. To develop a suitable cultivar, gardeners look for wild species with desirable characteristics. One essential species is Prunus speciosa, also known as the Oshima cherry. This tree is endemic to Japan, meaning it is found nowhere else naturally. It produces many large, fragrant flowers and grows very rapidly. Furthermore, it easily undergoes mutation to produce double flowers.

Since the 14th century, these traits have helped produce the Cerasus Sato-zakura Group. In modern times, most cultivars are propagated through grafting. Grafting is a method where parts of one tree are joined to another. This technique quickly produces new trees with the exact same genetic characteristics as the parent plant.

Scientists use a complex system to classify these trees. Classification can be difficult because cherry trees are prone to mutation. They possess many different varieties, hybrids, and cultivars. In Europe and North America, ornamental cherries are classified under the subgenus Cerasus, which contains about 100 species. This subgenus is part of the larger Prunus genus. It is important to note that Cerasus does not include bush cherries or cherry laurels. The history of this naming is long. De Tournefort named Cerasus as a genus in 1700. Later, Linnaeus combined it into the Prunus genus in 1753. Today, the use of Cerasus varies by region. While some use it as a subgenus, researchers in China and Russia often use it as a genus. In Japan, a 1992 paper by Hideaki Ohba helped make the Cerasus classification more common.

The cultural tradition of viewing these blossoms is called hanami.

This practice involves holding feasts or parties under blooming trees. The custom is said to have begun during the Nara period from 710 to 794. During the Heian period, cherry blossoms became more important than plum blossoms. The word sakura became synonymous with the season itself. Originally, hanami was a custom for the elite at the Imperial Court. It later spread to the samurai class and eventually to common people. During the Edo period, the leader Tokugawa Yoshimune planted cherry trees to encourage public enjoyment. People gather under the branches to eat and drink during these cheerful celebrations.

Some cherry trees are remarkable for their extreme age and size. The species Prunus itosakura grows slowly but has a very long life span. Because of this, many large, old specimens exist in Japan. These ancient trees are often regarded as sacred landmarks. They frequently symbolize Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples.

Some famous examples include a tree that is approximately 2,000 years old. Other notable specimens are around 1,500 and 1,000 years old. These trees serve as living connections to Japan's distant past.

Cherry blossom cultivation eventually spread globally. In 1912, Japan presented cherry trees to the United States as a token of friendship. This helped the cultivation of ornamental cherries spread to Europe and North America. After the First World War, the British plant collector Collingwood Ingram conducted important studies on these Japanese trees.

Today, different cultivars are popular in different parts of the world. For example, the Yoshino cherry is actively planted in many Asian countries. In contrast, the Kanzan cultivar is widely planted in Western nations.

Modern challenges are currently changing how Japan manages its sakura.

The popular Yoshino cherry is facing several problems. It is susceptible to a condition called Witch's broom disease. Additionally, its large root systems can damage urban pavement. Because of these issues, many cities are replacing Yoshino trees with new cultivars. One alternative is 'Jindai-akebono', which is more resistant to disease and stays smaller. Another is 'Yoko', which was developed in Ehime Prefecture in 1981. These new trees feature large, deep pink flowers. Scientists and the public also track the sakura zensen, or the bloom front. This front moves northward as the weather warms. The blossoms usually start in Okinawa in January and reach Tokyo by early April. This movement is tracked closely by the public and private forecasting companies every year.