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soming. Only the stamens may turn to a darker color with the withering of the petals, as is observed for instance with 'Shibayama'. Such particulars are mentioned in the descriptions, but are not practical when working with the classification key to identify an unknown cherry. It is best to examine flower color when the flowers are fully expanded and in their prime. To avoid misunderstanding about the difference between hues such as "purplish pink" or "splendid pink," colors in the descriptions are given as numbers of the Colour Chart, edited by the Royal Horticultural Society (80 Vincent Square, London). The numbers appear in brackets after the color as, for instance, bronze-green (RHS 152-A) or pink (RHS 65-D). The society has grouped colors and named these groups. The Yellow-Green Group, for instance, has forty-four distinct hues, ranging from a disco yellow that almost hurts the eyes to a dark, camouflage army-green. Referring to any shade within such extremes as ''yellow-green" could be misleading. Still, the Colour Chart and its numbers are gratefully used for precision, and colors are described in words to give readers a general understanding. Western cherry botanists choose their colors from the Red-Purple Group of the RHS Colour Chart when describing the shades of pink cherry blossoms, whereas Japanese researchers tend to choose from the Red Group. Many cultivar names include the Japanese word beni, always translated in English as "red," although pink would be more appropriate. Beni in Japan of old was the red dye stuff derived from safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) that women used as rouge. What is therefore an elegant word in Japanese for describing the pink flowers of cherries, becomes "red" in English, corresponding to the Red Group of the RHS Colour Chart. Flower Shape The shape of a developed flower is also characteristic for a cultivar, and some basic types can be described. The flowers of 'Ichiyo', for example, spread to an open shape that can be flat as a saucer. Other flowers may be fuzzy, with petals in curls, set obliquely, or folded a little, as seen with 'Hokusai'. Still, the ovary can be seen in the heart of its flowers: a ring of petals with a nice round hole forms the corolla in flowers of this type. Petals may be wrinkled and rumpled, and crisscrossed in the heart of the flower so that the ovary is not visible from above, as illustrated by the flowers of 'Ito-kukuri', for example. If a flower has numerous petals and looks like a powder puff, it is said to be a chrysanthemum-type flower.