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open flowers and gives a spectacular floral show on a small, broad tree (Van Trier 1990). Prunus sargentii Prunus sargentii is found in northern Japan, in mountainous regions to very high altitudes. Leaves and flowers are similar to but larger than those of the Japanese mountain cherry, whence the folk name zakura ("big mountain cherry"). It differs from the Japanese mountain cherry in its umbellate inflorescences that rarely or never stand on a peduncle. The bud scales and young sprouts are sticky, which is characteristic for this species. The blossom is pinker than that of the Japanese mountain cherry, but varies in color, shape, and size. Leaf serration is larger and coarser. The species shows nice autumn hues. Weeping specimens have been reported from wild stands, and a columnarshaped selection is in cultivation. The Japanese mountain cherry (Prunus serrulata var. spontanea) is related to P. sargentii, and in classifications they are grouped with P. serrulata var. pubescens. The American plantsman Charles Sprague Sargent collected in Japan in 1892 and published his Forest Flora of Japan in 1894. Alfred Rehder described Sargent's cherry as P. sargentii in 1908, but there is a good case for calling it P. serrulata var. sachalinensis as well. Man's civilized occupation of northern Japan, where Prunus sargentii grows in the wild, is rather recent, and it is said that this cherry's genetic influence on the old garden cultivars is unimportant. Nonetheless, the flowers of wild specimens may show such a striking deep pink that the tree must have attracted the attention of traveling gardeners in olden days, and maybe it has been of more influence than believed. It makes a beautiful tree on a standing stem. Forms have been selected for use as roadside trees, such as the columnar 'Rancho' (Scanlon 1961); other selections, such as 'Sunset Boulevard', have a splendid autumn color as well. Prunus sargentii Rehder Synonyms: Prunus serrulata var. sachalinensis (Fr. Schmidt) Wilson, o-yama- *zakura, North Japanese hill cherry Description: Tree large, broad-ovate, to 18 m high or more. Bast of younger branches somewhat shiny dark red or purple-brown. Young foliage reddish brown (RHS 178-B). Bud scales and young sprouts sticky(!). Serration