North Japanese hill cherry (Prunus sargentii) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

North Japanese hill cherry is a tree native to East Asia and grown in U.S. gardens and street plantings. Its pink flowers open in spring, and its leaves turn red or orange in fall. It is also called Sargent cherry.

Appearance

Appearance: This tree usually grows about 20–30 ft (6–9 m) tall in landscapes, with a rounded or spreading crown and polished reddish-brown bark.
Leaves: The 2–5 in (5–13 cm) leaves are oval to oblong with toothed edges. New leaves can be reddish, and fall foliage turns red or orange.
Flowers: Single pink flowers open in small clusters before the new leaves unfold in spring.
Fruit: Small, glossy purple-black cherries ripen in early summer. They are bitter rather than a dessert fruit.

Look-alikes

Japanese flowering cherryPrunus serrulata

North Japanese hill cherry has single pink flowers in small clusters with almost no shared stalk beneath each cluster. Japanese flowering cherry includes cultivated forms with single or double flowers, so check both the flower shape and the base of the cluster.

Why they get mixed upBoth are East Asian ornamental cherries with pink or white spring bloom.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: woodland edges
gardens
street plantings
Range: It is native from the Russian Far East through Korea and Japan. In the United States, it is mainly seen in gardens, arboreta, and street plantings.
Preferred conditions: It grows best in full sun and moist, well-drained soil. It is generally suited to 4a–7b and struggles with high heat and humidity farther south.

Growing it

Care: Give it sun, good drainage, and room for a broad crown. Cultivated trees can vary in flower color and flowering time.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction

Culture and stories

Culture and stories: The name Sargent cherry honors Charles S. Sargent.

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