Yamazakura, Hill cherry
Prunus jamasakura

Family: Rosaceae

What it is like

A deciduous tree. It grows 20 m tall. It is a broad spreading shape. The bark is purple-brown with lenticels across it. The leaves are oblong and 12 cm long by 5 cm wide. The abruptly taper to a point. There are sharp teeth along the edge. The young leaves are bronze or red and become deep green above and blue-green underneath. They are smooth on both sides. The leaves turn yellow to red in autumn. The flowers are 3 cm across and pale pink to almost white. There are 5 petals which have notches at the tip. The flowers are in small clusters. The fruit is fleshy and deep purple-black. It is 2.5 cm long. Probably now Cerasus jamasakura var. jamasakura

There are about 200 Prunus species.

Where it is found

It is native to China, Japan and Korea. It grows in woods in low hills and mountains. Temperate.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Japan, Korea, Slovenia

How it is used for food

The flowers are pickled in salt and eaten in tea or with rice gruel. They are used as a garnish for bakery goods. The fruit is eaten.

Edible parts

Flowers, fruit, seeds

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Japonska češnja

Synonyms

Prunus serrulata var. spontanea;