It is a small deciduous tree that is native to China. It grows in sunny forests and along forest margins, and grows 2 to 6 m tall. It has sharp spines on its branches and oblong to lanceolate leaves with serrated edges.
It is a thorny deciduous shrub that is commonly cultivated. It is shorter than another commonly cultivated species C. speciosa, growing to only about 1 m in height. It is best known for its colorful spring flowers, which are red, white, pink or multicoloured.
It is classified as a ‘Purpurea; purple cherry’ in the Satozakura group that was on the Arakawa embankment, but the color of the petals changes from pale pink to white.
It is a variety of Satozakura group and was cultivated in Arakawa-bank, and has a unique purple-red flower color and stamens are conspicuous. It is said to be influenced by Yamazakura (C.jamasakura), Ooyamazakura (C. sargentii) , and Oshimazakura (C. speciosa).
This variety was developed from the seedlings of Somei Yoshino, and was bred in 1959 at the National Institute of Genetics in Mishima City, Shizuoka Prefecture. It is presumed to be a hybrid between Someiyoshino and Oshimazakura (C. speciosa).
This variety is originated from the plant material of cherry blossoms in Gongendaira, Kii Tomita, and was once thought to have died ou, but the retainmed plants were donated to Nishinomiya and propagated using biotechnology at the Nishinomiya Plant Production Research Center, hence the name of Nishinomiya was given to the original place of Gongendaira. It is said that Dr. Sasabe, who is known as a cherry blossom keeper, praised this vairety from the yamazakura, saying, “The shape of the tree, the quality of the flowers, and the speed of growth, etc., are the best in Japan.”
This variant of species was discovered in the mountains of Gotemba, near Mt.Fuji in April 1916 by Jiro Takazawa, a subordinate of Hanjiro Yamade, head of Gotemba Agricultural High School. Yamaide sent it to Dr. Tomitaro Makino, and the botanical name was given to respect to Yamaide, and the Japanese name was given by Makino from the shape of the flower. It is a pure white flower that has lost the red pigment in Mamezakura (C. incisa) .
The original tree is located in the precincts of Shuzenji Temple in Izu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, and is considered to be open cross of Kanhizakura (C. campanulata) and Oshima Zakura (C. speciosa).
It is considered a hybrid of holly osmanthus (Osmanthus heterophyllus) and tea olive (Osmanthus fragrans). Like fragrant olive and tea olive, fragrant flowers bloom in leaf axils in bundles. It blooms a little later than fragrant olive, and has a more freshy scent. It is often used for hedges, etc.
