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tils. The calyx is a disk-shaped receptacle, not hollow, with a depression or hole in the middle(!). Sepals are triangular, 6 Ă— 34 mm, with a purple shade, unserrated, with about five to ten outer petals developing as accessory sepals. Flowering season is late April in Tokyo, a little earlier than 'Hiyodori-zakura'. 'Mikuruma-gaeshi' 'Mikuruma-gaeshi' ("court carriage returned") has several interpretations. One often-heard explanation claims an imperial traveler ordered his carriage to return for a second look after passing a cherry of great beauty. According to some authors the traveler was the emperor Go-Mizuno-o (15961680), who is well remembered in horticultural circles for having commanded the construction of great gardens in , some of which are still well kept. Another interpretation speaks of noblewomen picnicking under a cherry so beautiful that they decided to stay longer than planned and sent their carriage back. Historically documented, though, is the explanation that, after passing by an unknown but beautiful cherry, courtiers in a carriage quarreled over whether it was a single or a double cherry (Matsuoka 1758). One of them was sure to have seen single flowers, and the other was convinced they were double. To solve the dispute, the carriage was ordered to return so the courtiers could take another look. The cherry proved to have both single and a few double flowers. Miyoshi named this cherry Prunus serrulata f. diversiflora, meaning "with diverse flowers," since single and double flowers are found on a tree. Another popular name for it is 'Yae-hitoe' ("double-single"), again pointing to the flowers. In reality, the word double is saying too much for these flowers that, at most, have seven or eight petals. Many other single cherries also have a few flowers with more petals, and it is not an exclusive characteristic for 'Mikuruma-gaeshi'. Two other synonyms are 'Kirigaya' or 'Kirigayatsu', both of which are written with Chinese characters that translate as "valley of Paulownia trees." The latter name appeared in Japanese written sources in the early fifteenth century (Yamada 1941, pp. 122123). From these sources, one must conclude that 'Mikuruma-gaeshi' is one of the true classics among the flowering cherries. Its beauty lies in the abundantly produced, large, and pink flowers. Sano IV (1961) reported they were 6 cm in diameter; indeed, well