Prunus × yedoensis

Prunus × yedoensis (synonym Cerasus × yedoensis, also known as Yoshino cherry; Japanese: 染井吉野 Somei Yoshino) is a hybrid cherry of unknown origin, probably between Prunus speciosa (Oshima zakura) as father plant and Prunus pendula f. ascendens (Edo higan) as mother. It occurs as a natural hybrid in Japan and is now one of the most popular and widely planted cultivated flowering cherries (sakura) in temperate climates worldwide.

Names

Yoshino cherry is initially believed to be native to Yoshino District, Nara. In 1900, Kimei Fujino gave Yoshino cherry a name Somei-yoshino after the famous place of cultivation Somei village (current day Toshima). In 1901, Yoshino cherry was given a scientific name Prunus Yedoensis by Ninzo Matsumura. However, after Ernest Henry Wilson suggested Yoshino cherry is a hybrid between Prunus subhirtella var. ascendens (Edo higan) and Prunus lannesiana (Oshima zakura) in 1916, Yoshino cherry became to be called Prunus × Yedoensis. As for the Korean native cherry called king cherry (왕벚나무) which was given a scientific name Prunus yedoensis var. nudiflora by a German botanist Bernhard Adalbert Emil Koehne in 1912 continues to be called Prunus yedoensis.