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and inflorescence can be used as a key characteristic in classification. Following Ingram (1948) and Japanese sources such as the Flower Association of Japan (1982), the length of the peduncle is measured from the implantation of the inflorescence on the twig to the branching off of the first pedicel. Miyoshi (1916) measured every part of any stalk between the side-branches, numbered the parts, and gave the measure of all the parts separately. Such overly precise observation gives much superfluous information; moreover, it suggests a statistical constancy in the length of flower stalks, which is not constant at all. The length of the stalks may vary with the number of flowers per corymb, with the age and vitality of the tree, and with weather. Flower stalks are, for example, considerably longer in cooler Hokkaido * than in warmer, more southern . The same difference is seen when comparing cherries in the Netherlands and those in southern France. Peduncles and pedicels are longer in later flowering forms. For instance, the average length of the peduncle of the early flowering 'Washi-no-o' is about 1.5 cm whereas it is about 5 cm with the late flowering 'Shogetsu'; when winter is cold and spring is late, 'Shogetsu' might have even longer peduncles. Lengths of flower stalks give us a pointer, rather than a clue; figures are certainly not absolute. The number of flowers per inflorescence ranges from two to eight or more. Within one cultivar again one cannot speak of a constant number; there is, however, an average minimum and an average maximum. The inflorescence sprouts from between bud scales and bracts at the twig. These leaflike organs can be green, red, or bronze-brown. The inside of these bracts in most forms of Prunus serrulata is pubescent (covered with hairs, which in this case are brown), while in most forms of P.Ă—subhirtella the inner side of the bracts is less pubescent than the outer side. Corymbose inflorescences have usually two more leaflike bracts higher up the peduncle, whereas smaller bractlets are found at points where pedicels branch off. The shape of bracts and bractlets varies from almost lanceolate to obovate; the top can be entire or divided in two or three ends (bifid or trifid), and the edges can be ciliate to fimbriate. Their length may vary from 6 to 12 mm and their color from yellow-green to deep, bright red. Variability of color, shape, and size is great, not only within a cultivar, but also within the inflorescences of one tree. Even within one corymb one may find considerable differences, which makes these bracts not very useful for classification purposes. Only in a rare case, such as with 'Tagui-arashi' or 'Bendono', the