of the Month 2 spp.

1 3

Most of the cherry growing at the Arboretum 4 are grown for their , not fruit, and are native to several countries in Asia including Japan, China, Korea and Taiwan. 5 Parts of a cherry 1 petal 2 pistils and stamens 3 oval petal with indentation 4 bud 5 pedicel 6 bracts 8 7 6 7 calyx Illustrated Floral 8 sepal Morphology by Matsuoka (1758)

The flowering time of , like most spring flowering , is dependent on a combination of day/night length and temperature. Different types have different blooming times. Most cherries have five petals but some have as many as fifty. Bud and flower color ranges from red to pink to white. Flowering cherries have ornamental features beyond their blossoms. Summer and fall foliage as well as ornamental bark add year-round interest to the tree. On some, the lenticels (porous lines through which gases are exchanged) form distinctive patterns on the trunk and branches.

125 Arborway Boston, MA 02130-3500 617-384-5209 www.arboretum.harvard.edu April Flowers The different cherry trees bloom at various times throughout the month, so visit often. In addition to the plants below, there are beautiful trees on the west side of Peters Hill.

1 Sargent cherry cultivar HUNNEWELL Prunus sargentii ‘Columnaris’ VISITOR CENTER

2 ARBORWAY Okame cherry GATE Prunus ‘Okame’ 3 European cherry Prunus padus var glauca

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P i l n l e o 4 d w n i Higan cherry L P a

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M A LEVENTRITT e r Prunus subhirtella ‘Pendula’ a b d & VINE o o w r w GARDEN R o a a y d / R 5 o Yoshino cherry (like those found in u t e 20 3 3 Washington DC) CENTRE STREET B GATE us 2 sey BRADLEY Hi Prunus x yedoensis ll R ROSACEOUS oa d COLLECTION

6 d a Judd’s cherry t o e R e ills r Forest H t S e 6 r Prunus x juddii t n Hickories e BUSSEY HILL 4 C 1 5 A little history... Forest Hills WASHINGTON MBTA Station Orange Line In the late 1800s, the Arnold Arboretum was responsible for some of these East Asian STREET GATE introductions of flowering cherries into North America. Prunus sargentii was first

ll e th w Pa k introduced to the Arboretum in 1890 by Dr. Williamifer S. Bigelow, who sent seedsc from Japan. Con a l B Washington Street

th a P h ec Be Two years later, in 1892, Charles S. Sargenth (the first director of the Arnold Arboretum)

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a SOUTH STREET P

r e GATE if also sent seeds back from his Japaneseon expedition. Before these first introductions, the C R ock Hi ho eml ll Roa do H d den diversity of flowering cherries available in the early 1900s in the USdro n Patwash limited. There VFW P arkway Weld Hill Research WALTER STREET HEMLOCK HILL were several native flowering cherry treesGATE in this country before, such as thePrunus serotina & Administration Building BUSSEY STREET (No Public Access) GATE Busse (black cherry) and Prunus emarginata (bitter cherry);y St rhowever they were not as showy and eet PETERS HILL t e GATE exquisitely beautiful as the East Asiane varieties. r t S r e lt a Centre Street W Peter s H OPLAR ill P WELD HILL Ro t ad e GATE For centuries, the Japanese have valued cherry tree blossoms, callede sakura. The beauty r t S et h Weld Stre t u of the flowers and their brief life at the beginning of spring symbolizeo the essence of a S human’s short, but well-lived life. CherryP blossomETERS HILL festivals are a special feature of Japanese

Pe te life. Festival activities include music,r singing, painting, and writing poetry, such as Haiku. s H i ll R o a d Shining spring day ~ Falling cherry blossoms ~ With my calm mind Haiku by Kino Tomonari

For fun ways to experience the Arboretum and the Painting Edo exhibition at MENDUM STREET the Harvard Art Museum through Ghaiku,ATE see our page that explores this creative collaboration: https://arboretum.harvard.edu/visit/explore-with-us/painting-edo-and-the-arboretum/ Write your own haiku and share it with us.