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Tree Guide

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Yoshino CherryPrunus x yedoensis

  • Japanese Flowering Cherry - Prunus x yedoensis
  • Japanese Flowering Cherry - Prunus x yedoensis
  • Japanese Flowering Cherry - Prunus x yedoensis
The tree that made the Macon Cherry Blossom Festival famous. Fragrant, white-pink flowers; oriental branching pattern; glossy bark; dark-green leaves. Likes full sun, well-drained soil. Grows to 40' to 50'. (zones 5-8)
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Hardiness Zones

The yoshino cherry can be expected to grow in Hardiness Zones 5–8. View Map

Tree Type

Mature Size

The Yoshino cherry grows to a height of 40–50' and a spread of 25–40' at maturity.

Growth Speed Medium Growth Rate

This tree grows at a medium rate, with height increases of 13–24" per year.

Sun Preference

Full sun and partial shade are best for this tree, meaning it prefers a minimum of four hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight each day.

Soil Preference

The Yoshino cherry is very versatile—growing in acidic, loamy, moist, sandy, well-drained and clay soils. While it prefers moist conditions, the tree has some drought tolerance.

Attributes

This tree:
  • Produces an amazing profusion of white-pink flowers March through April.
  • Features alternating leaves with a simple shape, often reddish as they emerge and turning dark green by summer.
  • Yields a round fruit up to 1" that is attractive to birds, resulting in insignificant litter.
  • Grows in a rounded shape.

Wildlife Value

This tree is an important source of food for many small birds and mammals including robins, cardinals and waxwings.

History/Lore

A native of Japan, the tree was introduced to America in 1902. Japanese legend states that each spring a fairy maiden hovers low in the warm sky, awakening the sleeping cherry trees with her delicate breath.

This tree, along with its cousin the Kanzan cherry, is responsible for the spectacular pink blossoming show each spring in Washington, D.C. The first Japanese flowering cherries planted in the nation’s capital were a gift from the mayor of Tokyo.