Habitat

• native to Japan
• hardy to zone 6, and warmer parts of 5

Habit and Form

• a medium-sized, deciduous tree
• 35' to 45' tall
• equal spread
• upright, spreading to vase-shaped crown
• medium texture
• moderate growth rate

Summer Foliage

• alternate leaf arrangement
• simple, deciduous leaves
• double, serrated leaf margins
• obovate leaf shape
• 2" long to 4"
• dark green leaf color

Autumn Foliage

• yellow fall color

Flowers

• white to pink flowers
• blooms in late April
• showy

Fruit

• 0.5" to 1" in diameter
• round, black frit
• attracts birds

Bark

• reddish-brown bark
• brown, slender stems
• prominent horizontal lenticels

Culture

• needs good drainage
• full sun
• prefers well-drained, acidic, moist soil

Landscape Use

• specimen
• container planting
• buffer strip
• for flowering effect
• patio plant

Liabilities

• aphids
• borers
• scale
• spider mites
• witch's broom

ID Features

• medium-sized, deciduous tree
• alternate leaf arrangement
• obovate leaf shape
• white to pink flowers
• horizontal lenticels on bark
• round, black fruit

Propagation

• cuttings

Cultivars/Varieties

'Akebono' (also known as 'Daybreak') - This is a selection of the species with light pink blooms that fade to white on a tree which grows to 25' tall and wide. 'Afterglow' is a seedling selection of 'Akebono' with pink blooms, upright-spreading habit and yellow fall color.

'Berry' (Cascade Snow™) - A white-flowered form, this plant is resistant to leaf diseases and features healthy foliage (yellow in fall) on a 25' tall tree.

'Ivensii' - A weeping form of the species, this plant assumes the shape of an umbrella. It bears white flowers.

'Shidare Yoshino' (also known as f. perpendens) - This is a famous weeping form of the species, most notable for the grouping around the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. that provide a show every spring. It is a graceful plant 20' tall with a spread of 30' that is covered in white blooms every spring. 'Washi-no-o' is a selected white-flowered form, while 'Yoshino Pink Form' and 'Pink Shell' have pinkish blooms.

'Snow Fountains' (P. x 'Snow Fountains', also listed as 'White Fountain') - A cultivar of uncertain parentage, this plant has nonetheless become very popular and common in recent years. It is a semi-weeping tree that is covered in pure white blooms in early spring. The tree grows to 12' tall and bears healthy green foliage that turns orange-yellow in fall.