Habitat

• native to Japan
• hardy in zone 5, and warmer parts of 4

Habit and Form

• a medium deciduous tree
• 20' to 40' tall with an almost equal spread
• grafted at about 6'
• weeping habit
• medium texture
• fast growth rate

Summer Foliage

• simple, deciduous leaves
• alternate leaf arrangement
• linear ovate leaf shape
• 1" to 4" long and 0.5" to 2" wide
• sharp double serration
• dark green leaf color
• pubescent on leaf underside
• glands at leaf base

Autumn Foliage

• orange fall color

Flowers

• single, pink flowers
• 0.5" in diameter
• blooms late March or early April
• flowers before leaf out
• flowers borne in umbels of 2 to 5 flowers

Fruit

• fruits are oval
• 0.33' in diameter
• fruit are red maturing to black

Bark

• shiny, reddish brown bark
• long horizontal lenticels
• bark peeling and curled

Culture

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

Landscape Use

• specimen
• small groupings
• for weeping effect
• for pink flowers
• for interesting bark

Liabilities

• short-lived
• many insect and disease problems

ID Features

• a deciduous medium-sized tree
• alternate leaf arrangement
• dark green leaves with glands at base
• double, serrated leaves
• single, pink flowers
• weeping habit
• horizontal lenticels

Propagation

• by grafting

Cultivars/Varieties

'Autumnalis' (also listed as var. autumnalis) - A rounded tree with upright branches to 40' tall and wide, this plant produces semi-double white-pink blooms in early spring. A scattering of flowers may open during fall warm spells, thus the name. 'Autumnalis Rosea' has deep pink blooms.

'Pendula' (also listed as var. pendula) - The most common cultivar, this popular tree is usually grafted on a straight understock to form a gently weeping tree with single pink blooms before the leaves in early spring. It can grow to 25' tall and wide. 'Pendula Rubra' and 'Pendula Plena Rosea' (the same as 'Yae-shidare-higan') have deeper pink, long-lasting blooms (the latter being double).

'Rosy Cloud' (also listed as 'Pink Cloud') - This is an upright var. autumnalis-type with large, double deep pink blooms.

'Stellata' (known as "Clark's Spring Cherry") - Blooming with clear pink blooms, this var. autumnalis-type forms a small tree 15' tall and wider.

'Whitcomb' (also listed as 'Whitcombii') - This is a wide-spreading var. autumnalis-type with single pink flowers. It grows to 25' tall and wide.

'Winter Sun' - A weeping selection of var. pendula, this plant bears light pink blooms over a longer period than the species.