Prunus speciosa is a
deciduoustree typically 4–12 metres (13–39 ft) high. The
leaves are 5–10 cm long and 3–6 cm broad, with a double-toothed margin, and an acuminate apex.
The Oshima cherry, is widely cultivated as an
ornamental tree. Because of its large, showy flowers it is planted in many gardens and parks. It prefers sun and moist but well draining soil.
There are many
cultivars. It is also a
hybrid parent of many of the
sakura flowering cherry cultivars.[3] Among these cultivars, those that originated from Oshima cherry are called
Cerasus Sato-zakura Group, and many cultivars have a large number of petals, and the representative cultivar is
Prunus lannesiana ‘Kanzan’ or ‘Sekiyama’. The reason for this is that Oshima cherry tend to mutate into
double-flowered, grow fast, have many large flowers, and have a strong fragrance, so they have been favored for cherry blossom viewing because of their characteristics. When the population of the southern
Kanto region increased during the medieval
Kamakura period, Oshima cherry, which was originally from
Izu Ōshima Island, was brought to
Honshu and started to be cultivated there, and then brought to the capital,
Kyoto. In the
Muromachi period,
Prunus lannesiana 'Albo-rosea' Makino (Fugenzou) and
Prunus serrulata 'Mikurumakaisi' (Mikuruma gaeshi) derived from Oshima cherry were born, and in the
Edo period, various kinds of Cerasus Sato-zakura Group such as ‘Kanzan’ were born, and many cultivars have been succeeded until now.[8]
The fruit is also edible. The flowers when dried are used to make tea. The leaves (sakura leaf or cherry leaf) are used in cooking and medicine to make 'cherry tree rice cake',[11] but P. speciosa is not the only sakura leaf.[12]
Classification
The plant was first described by Gen'ichi Koidzumi as Prunus jamasakura var. speciosa, and later treated as a separate species by
Collingwood Ingram (1880-1981).[3] It is occasionally treated as a synonym of Prunus lannesiana.[13] or (particularly in Japan) as a variety of it, Prunus lannesiana var. speciosa (Koidz.) Makino.[11] The name speciosa in
Latin means "the beautiful", a name which must apply to the blossoming tree.