Japanese Flowering Cherries by Wybe Kuitert (free)

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shi described 'Ukon' again as P. serrulata Lindley f. viridiflora, and in 1916 he revised it as P. serrulata Lindley f. luteo-virens, in combination with a description of the cherry 'Asagi' as P. serrulata Lindley f. luteo-virens subf. luteoides. In Japan one finds it as P. lannesiana 'Grandiflora'. Several clones of 'Ukon' are in cultivation. One with greenish-yellow petals that are more obovate and deeply notched is often found (and sometimes called 'Kizakura') in and around . The heart of its flower turns purplish pink at the end of flowering. A form with more cream-yellow flowers and orbicular petals is the standard, found around Tokyo and in Europe. The 1822 catalog Hana-no-kagami (A paragon of flowers) illustrates six green or creamish garden forms. Kayama (1931), quoting the source , ni, described 'Asagi-zakura' as a pale form of 'Kizakura': "Double, big flowers hanging in a bunch. Light color, pale yellow, a slight yellow tint it has, which is uncommon. There is also a single form." 'Kizakura' can be found in several collections. In (Matsuoka 1758) an illustration and short description of a 'Kaba-zakura' are found, giving 'Kizakura' as synonym. Ingram (1925, 1929), followed by Russell (1934), named a green-pigmented flowering cherry 'Kaba-zakura', which must be the same as Matsuoka's cherry. Kaba in this name is written with a Chinese character that is used for the birch tree. (Kaba-zakura is also the name for the glossy, chestnut colored bark of certain cherries used in decorative crafts.) This character kaba also indicates a mixed color of yellow (ki) and red (aka). Ingram found the young leaves of 'Kaba-zakura' bronze as in 'Ukon'. A range from cream to green would run as 'Ukon' 'Asagi' 'Kizakura' (synonym 'Kaba-zakura') 'Gyoiko', taking the color of the flowers in their prime. What is understood at present as 'Kaba-zakura' in Japan is quite different: a whiteflowered Prunus Ă—media Miyoshi Media, a hybrid of the Japanese mountain cherry (P. serrulata var. spontanea) and the Edo-higan cherry (P. pendula f. ascenders). The origin of this cultivar is an old tree in a temple compound in Kitamoto, Saitama Prefecture, legally preserved as a natural monument (Kawasaki 1994). The kaba in this name is written with a different Chinese character, the one for bulrush (gama) that is also used for certain willow species. But let us return to 'Ukon'. The true 'Ukon' is an excellent cultivar with its 5-cm large, greenish-creamy flowers that contrast beautifully with the


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