Habitat

• native to Japan, China, and Korea
• hardy to zone 5

Habit and Form

• a large deciduous tree
• 60' to 70' tall
• most cultivars only get to 30' tall
• rounded to vase-like shape
• medium texture
• fast growth rate

Summer Foliage

• simple, deciduous leaves
• alternate leaf arrangement
• ovate leaf shape
• 3" to 5" long and up to 2" wide
• serrate leaf margin
• pointed leaf apex
• red when emerging changing to a dark green
• 2 to 4 glands found on leaf petiole

Autumn Foliage

• fall color is bronze to red
• somewhat showy

Flowers

• depends on cultivar range from white to pink and can be single or double
• flowers in April
• borne along stems, before leaves emerge

Fruit

• blackish purple fruit

Bark

• gray brown
• prominent horizontal lenticels

Culture

• full sun
• easily transplanted from bare root, B&B, or containers
• soil adaptable
• prefers a well-drained soil
• prune after flowering in spring

Landscape Use

• specimen
• small groupings
• for flowering effect

Liabilities

• short-lived
• many insect and disease problems

ID Features

• a large deciduous tree
• rounded tree crown
• short main trunk
• ovate simple leaves with serrated leaf margin
• showy flowers
• black fruit
• 2 to 4 glands on leaf petiole
• prominent horizontal lenticels

Propagation

• by softwood cuttings

Cultivars/Varieties

'Amanogawa' - Notable for its strict fastigiate growth form, this selection grows 20' tall with a spread of perhaps 5'. The flowers are single to semi-double, pink and fragrant.

'Kwanzan' (also listed as 'Kanzan', perhaps more correctly 'Sekiyama') - One of the most common flowering trees, this selection is also the most popular double-flowering P. serrulata cultivar. It blooms heavily every spring with double pink blooms that are often over 2" in diameter. The new leaves emerge with a bronzy overlay, turning green in summer. The fall color is orange-brown. Initially upright, this 25' tall tree becomes more rounded with age. It is the hardiest double-flowering cultivar..

'Royal Burgundy' - This plant is very similar to 'Kwanzan', except the leaves are reddish-purple all season.

'Shirofugen' - The double blooms of this cultivar emerge white from pink buds, but soon age to pink. It is a spreading tree with bronzy young leaves.

'Shirotae' (also known as 'Mt. Fuji') - Bearing ample quantities of double white flowers in spring, this 25' tall and wide tree has a spreading habit with slightly drooping branches. The blooms are fragrant and feature ruffling along the petal margins.

'Shogetsu' (also listed as 'Shimidsu') - A small rounded tree to 20' tall, this plant bears double light pink-white blooms. The young foliage is bronzy.

'Snowgoose' - This selection sports abundant white flowers and healthy green, disease-resistant foliage. It becomes a 20' tall oval-rounded tree that may be better adapted to warmer locales (USDA zone 7+) than other types.