Japanese Flowering Cherries by Wybe Kuitert (free)

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the base(!), 1012 mm long, about as long as the longest stamens. The calyx is thickly funnel-shaped or campanulate, 67 × 3.54.0 mm, pubescent, with a darker shade than the pedicel; there is a distinct transition from pedicel to calyx. Sepals are elongated, 7 × 4 mm, narrowing a little towards the base, unserrated, with a faint purple tinge. Some forms have five distinct accessory sepals, 5 × 2 mm. Flowering season is late April. 'Takasago' has a triploid set of chromosomes (2n = 24). 'Taki-nioi' 'Taki-nioi' is written with two Chinese characters. The first, taki (''waterfall"), refers to the way in which the horizontally feathering branches are held up, producing out of the heart of the tree layer upon layer that make up its cascading crown. The second, nioi ("fragrance") refers to the pure white, small, single flowers that send forth a sweet odor reminiscent of crushed almonds. In older trees the pleasantly fragrant blossom is presented in clouds on top of each other, giving a scented blossom cascade. The name 'Taki-nioi' appears in lists of cherry collections since the beginning of the twentieth century, often written differently: Roko, Taki-niowasu, or Roko * ("incense waterfall"). Miyoshi described it as Prunus serrulata f. cataracta, which captured the idea of falling water, but not exactly the idea of cascading. 'Taki-nioi' is rare in Japanese and European collections, but an old tree is found in the garden of the conservator of the Rombergpark in Dortmund, Germany. It is likely that this tree was planted by German horticulturist Gerd Krüssmann, author of the Manual of Cultivated Broad-Leaved Trees and Shrubs and other works. The picturesque beauty of 'Taki-nioi' in bloom resembles that of 'Jonioi', another of the fragrant cherries (nioi-zakura), but its young foliage is bronze-brown instead of green. Assuming the likely parentage of the Oshima cherry, Kawasaki (1994) presented this cherry as Prunus lannesiana var. speciosa 'Cataracta' comb. nov. 'Taki-nioi' is rarely offered for sale by nurseries, rarely seen, and hardly known. However, it has several attractive features: a lovely cascading shape; healthy growth; abundant little white flowers that contrast nicely with the bronze-brown foliage appearing late in the cherry season; and a sweet scent that surrounds the tree with a waterfall of fragrance.


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