Yamazakura is a wild cherry tree native to Japan. In spring, yamazakura opens white to pale pink flowers alongside reddish new leaves, unlike Yoshino cherry, which flowers before its leaves emerge.
Appearance
Growth form
A deciduous tree that can reach 50–80 ft (15–25 m) tall in Japan.
Leaves
Oval leaves that narrow suddenly to a pointed tip, with fine, bristly teeth along the edges.
Flowers
White to pale pink blossoms about 1–1.4 in (2.5–3.5 cm) across, in small clusters, opening at the same time as the reddish new leaves.
Fruit
Small round cherries turn dark purple-black in early summer in Japan.
The commonly planted ‘Kanzan’ form has many pink petals per flower; wild yamazakura has five pale petals. Other forms need a closer look.
Why they get mixed up · Both may be called Japanese cherry in gardens.
Where it lives
Typical habitats
low mountains
secondary forests
Range
Native to central and southern Japan, where it grows in low mountain woods. It is not native to the United States; the Yoshino cherry commonly planted around Washington, D.C., is a different cherry.
Name and classification
About the name
It has also been called Cerasus jamasakura. Yamazakura is also called Japanese mountain cherry.
Conservation
IUCN Red List
LCLeast Concern·Low risk of extinction
Culture and stories
Culture and stories
Japanese mountain cherries were celebrated in spring viewing long before modern planted cherry cultivars became common.
Historic flowering records from Kyoto have been used to study past spring temperatures.