View source for Biology:Cherry blossom

{{short description|Blossom of the cherry tree}}
[[File:Prunus speciosa in the Jardin des Plantes 002.jpg|thumb|''Prunus speciosa'' (Oshima cherry). The characteristics of the species gave rise to many cultivars.<ref name="ojfc">{{cite web |title=Origins of Japanese flowering cherry (Prunus subgenus Cerasus) cultivars revealed using nuclear SSR markers |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260047309 |access-date=February 27, 2021 |work=Shuri Kato, Asako Matsumoto, Kensuke Yoshimura, Toshio Katsuki etc.}}</ref><ref name="ojfcffrri">{{cite web |date=June 16, 2014 |title=Origins of Japanese flowering cherry (Prunus subgenus Cerasus) cultivars revealed using nuclear SSR markers |url=https://www.ffpri.affrc.go.jp/research/saizensen/2014/20140616-01.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190309150440/https://www.ffpri.affrc.go.jp/research/saizensen/2014/20140616-01.html |archive-date=9 March 2019 |access-date=February 27, 2021 |work=Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute.}}</ref>]]
[[File:カンザン全体.jpg|thumb|[[Biology:Prunus 'Kanzan'|''Prunus serrulata'' 'Kanzan' or 'Sekiyama']]. It is one of the most popular cherry tree cultivars in Europe and North America. One of the cultivars selected for the British Award of Garden Merit.<ref name="katsuki201840">Toshio Katsuki (2018). ''Sakura no Kagaku (Science of Cherry Blossoms)'', pp. 40–42. SB Creative. {{ISBN|978-4797389319}}</ref>]]
[[File:SAKURA 2017 Sugimura park Hashimoto.jpg|thumb|Cherry blossoms at Sugimura Park, Hashimoto]]
[[File:Sakura and Moss Pink - 桜(さくら)と芝桜(しばざくら).jpg|thumb|upright|Yachounomori Garden, Tatebayashi, Gunma, Japan]]
[[File:Cherry blossoms in Seattle.jpg|thumb|alt=Cherry blossoms in Seattle|Cherry blossoms in Seattle]]

The '''cherry blossom''', or '''sakura''', is the [[Biology:Flower|flower]] of trees in the genus ''[[Biology:Prunus|Prunus]]'' or subgenus ''[[Biology:Prunus subg. Cerasus|Cerasus]]''. "Sakura" usually refers to flowers of ornamental cherry trees, such as [[Biology:Cultivar|cultivars]] of ''[[Biology:Prunus serrulata|Prunus serrulata]]'', not [[Biology:Cherry|trees grown for their fruit]]<ref name ="katsuki201514">Toshio Katsuki (2015). ''Sakura'', pp. 14–18. Iwanami Shoten. {{ISBN|978-4004315346}}</ref><ref>The history and cultural symbolism of both the seven wild species and the hundreds of forms known for centuries as ''sato-zakura'', or garden cherries and information about growing and propagating is found in {{cite web |title=Japanese Flowering Cherries |date=6 March 2015 |first=Wybe |last=Kuitert |publisher=Timber Press |url=http://www.issuu.com/jtvr/docs/japanese_flowering_cherries_by_wybe/1}}</ref> (although these also have [[Biology:Blossom|blossoms]]). Cherry blossoms have been described as having a beautiful smell, and are often the inspiration for candles and incense.

Wild [[Biology:Species|species]] of cherry tree are widely distributed, mainly in the Northern Hemisphere.<ref>{{cite web |title=Are cherry trees native to countries other than Japan? |url=http://www.hananokai.or.jp/sakura/sakuramihonen-faq/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140805121525/http://www.hananokai.or.jp/b/b9102.html |archive-date=5 August 2014 |work=The Flower Association of Japan}}</ref><ref name="sakuranokai">{{cite web |title=Basic knowledge of cherry blossoms |url=http://www.sakuranokai.or.jp/chishiki/index.html |work=JAPAN Cherry Blossom Association}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Studies on the History of the Flowering Cherry.《Journal of Nanjing Forestry University》1982年02期 |url=http://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTOTAL-NJLY198202006.htm |access-date=9 April 2019 |website=en.cnki.com.cn |archive-date=12 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512095848/http://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTOTAL-NJLY198202006.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> They are common in East Asia, especially in {{wipe|Japan}}, where they have been cultivated, producing many varieties. The wild Himalayan cherry, ''[[Biology:Prunus cerasoides|Prunus cerasoides]]'', is found in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and parts of China, and is also cultivated.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wild Himalayan Cherry | url=https://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Wild%20Himalayan%20Cherry.html |access-date=16 January 2024 |website=www.flowersofindia.net }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=SAKURA MAGIC IN THE NILGIRIS | url=https://thepapyrus.in/index.php/sakura-magic-in-the-nilgiris-wild-cherry-blossom-pollachi-papyrus/ |first=Divya |last=Chandran |access-date=16 January 2024 |website=thepapyrus.in }}</ref>

The Japanese word '''sakura''' ({{lang|ja|桜}} or {{lang|ja|櫻}}; {{lang|ja|さくら}} or {{lang|ja|サクラ}}) can mean either the tree or its flowers (see {{lang|ja|桜}}).<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Cambridge Dictionary: English Dictionary |entry=sakura |entry-url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/sakura |access-date=2024-01-17 }}</ref> The cherry blossom is considered the national flower of Japan, and is central to the custom of [[Biology:Hanami|hanami]] (flower viewing).<ref>{{cite web |title=The beauty and history of sakura, Japan's national flower |url=https://www.tsunagujapan.com/the-beauty-and-history-of-sakura-japans-national-flower/ |website=Tsunagu Japa |access-date=6 January 2016 |author=Honoca }}</ref>

Sakura trees are often called '''Japanese cherry''' in English.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Oxford English Dictionary |entry=Japanese cherry (n.) |date=September 2023 | doi=10.1093/OED/5455638245}}</ref> (This is also a [[Biology:Common name|common name]] for ''[[Biology:Prunus serrulata|Prunus serrulata]]''.<ref>{{BSBI 2007 |access-date=2024-01-17}}</ref>) The cultivation of ornamental cherry trees began to spread in [[Earth:Europe|Europe]] and the {{wipe|United States}} in the early 20th century, particularly after Japan presented trees to the United States as a token of friendship in 1912.<ref name="katsuki2015119"/> British plant collector Collingwood Ingram conducted important studies of Japanese cherry trees after the First World War.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Forgotten British Collector: Captain Collingwood Ingram (1880-1981) | url=https://www.rosemarybandini.com/articles/captain-collingwood-ingram/ |first=Rosemary |last=Bandini |access-date=17 January 2024 |website=www.rosemarybandini.com }}</ref>

== Classification ==
There is often confusion in the classification of cherry trees, since they are relatively prone to mutation and have diverse flowers and characteristics, and there are many [[Biology:Variety (botany)|varieties]] (a sub-classification of species), hybrids between species, and cultivars. Researchers have assigned different scientific names to the same type of cherry tree throughout different periods.<ref name ="katsuki20132">Toshio Katsuki (2015). ''Sakura'', pp. 32–37. Iwanami Shoten. {{ISBN|978-4004315346}}</ref>

In Europe and North America, ornamental cherry trees are classified under the genus ''[[Biology:Prunus|Prunus]]'', which consists of about 400 species. In the mainstream classification in Japan, China, and Russia, however, they are classified under ''[[Biology:Prunus subg. Cerasus|Cerasus]]'', which consists of about 100 species separated from ''Prunus.'' The [[Biology:Subgenus|subgenus]] ''Cerasus'' omits ''[[Biology:Prunus salicina|Prunus salicina]]'', ''[[Biology:Peach|Prunus persica (Peach)]]'', ''[[Biology:Prunus mume|Prunus mume]]'', and ''[[Biology:Prunus grayana|Prunus grayana]]'', amongst others. In Japan, ornamental cherry trees were traditionally classified in the genus ''Prunus'', as in Europe and the North America, but after a 1992 paper by Hideaki Ohba of the University of Tokyo, classification in the genus ''Cerasus'' became more common.<ref name="katsuki201514" /><ref name="katsuki2015122">Toshio Katsuki (2015). ''Sakura'', p. 122. Iwanami Shoten. {{ISBN|978-4004315346}}</ref><ref name="sakuranokai" /> 

In mainland China, there has been a culture of [[Biology:Prunus mume|plum blossoms]] viewing since ancient times, and although there were many wild species of cherry trees, most of them had small flowers, and the distribution area of wild cherry trees with large flowers suitable for cherry blossom viewing was often limited to a small area.<ref name="katsuki2018160">Toshio Katsuki (2018). ''Sakura no Kagaku (Science of Cherry Blossoms)'', pp. 160–161. SB Creative. {{ISBN|978-4797389319}}</ref> In Europe and North America, there were few cherry species with characteristics suitable for cherry blossom viewing.<ref name="katsuki2015122"/> In Japan, on the other hand, the [[Biology:Prunus speciosa|''Prunus speciosa'' (Oshima cherry)]] and {{ill|lt=''Prunus jamasakura'' (Yamazakura)|Prunus jamasakura|ja|ヤマザクラ|vertical-align=sup}}, which have large flowers suitable for cherry blossom viewing and tend to grow into large trees, were distributed over a fairly large area of the country and were close to people's living areas. The development of cherry blossom viewing, and the production of cultivars, is therefore considered to have taken place primarily in Japan.<ref name="katsuki2018160" />

Because cherry trees have mutable traits, many [[Biology:Cultivar|cultivar]]s have been created for cherry blossom viewing, especially in Japan. Since the Heian period, the Japanese have produced cultivars by selecting superior or mutant trees from among the natural crossings of wild cherry trees. They were also produced by crossing trees artificially and then breeding them by [[Earth:Grafting|grafting]] and [[Biology:Cutting (plant)|cutting]]. Oshima, Yamazakura, [[Biology:Prunus itosakura|''Prunus pendula'' f. ''ascendens'' (syn, ''Prunus itosakura'', Edo higan)]], and other varieties which grow naturally in Japan, mutate easily. The Oshima cherry, which is an [[Biology:Endemism|endemic species]] in Japan, tends to mutate into a [[Biology:Double-flowered|double-flowered]] tree, grows quickly, has many large flowers, and has a strong fragrance. Due to these favorable characteristics, the Oshima cherry has been used as a base for many Sakura cultivars (called the [[Biology:Prunus serrulata|Sato-zakura Group]]). Two such cultivars are the [[Biology:Prunus × yedoensis|Yoshino cherry]] and [[Biology:Prunus 'Kanzan'|Kanzan]]; Yoshino cherries are actively planted in Asian countries, and Kanzan is actively planted in Western countries.<ref name="katsuki2015">Toshio Katsuki (2015). ''Sakura'', pp. 86–95, 106, 166–168. Iwanami Shoten. {{ISBN|978-4004315346}}</ref><ref name="ojfc" /><ref name="ojfcffrri" /><ref name="katsuki201840" />

== Blooming season ==
[[File:Yoshino cherry ソメイヨシノ 3.jpg|thumb|Yoshino cherry, a cultivar propagated through grafting, consistently reaches full bloom at the same time if under the same environmental conditions.]]
Many cherry species and cultivars bloom between March and April in the Northern Hemisphere. Wild cherry trees, even if they are the same species, differ genetically from one individual to another. Even if they are planted in the same area, there is some variation in the time when they reach full bloom. In contrast, cultivars are clones propagated by grafting or cutting, so each tree of the same cultivar planted in the same area will come into full bloom all at once due to their genetic similarity.<ref name="Kays2011">{{cite book |author=Stanley J. Kays |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1pBMcf6wyj0C&pg=PA15 |title=Cultivated vegetables of the world: a multilingual onomasticon |date=3 October 2011 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-90-8686-720-2 |pages=15–}}</ref>

Some wild species, such as [[Biology:Prunus itosakura|Edo higan]] and the cultivars developed from them, are in full bloom before the leaves open. Yoshino cherry became popular for cherry-blossom viewing because of these characteristics of simultaneous flowering and blooming before the leaves open; it also bears many flowers and grows into a large tree. Many cultivars of the [[Biology:Prunus serrulata|Sato-zakura group]], which were developed from complex interspecific hybrids based on Oshima cherry, are often used for ornamental purposes. They generally reach full bloom a few days to two weeks after Yoshino cherry does.<ref name="katsuki20154056">Toshio Katsuki (2015). ''Sakura'', pp. 40–56. Iwanami Shoten. {{ISBN|978-4004315346}}</ref>

The flowering time of cherry trees is thought to be affected by global warming and the heat island effect of [[Earth:Urbanization|urbanization]]. According to the record of full bloom dates of {{ill|lt=''Prunus jamasakura'' (Yamazakura)|Prunus jamasakura|ja|ヤマザクラ|vertical-align=sup}} in [[Place:Kyoto|Kyoto]], Japan, which has been recorded for about 1200 years, the time of full bloom was relatively stable from 812 to the 1800s. After that, the time of full color rapidly became earlier, and in 2021, the earliest full bloom date in 1200 years was recorded. The average peak bloom day in the 1850s was around April 17, but by the 2020s, it was April 5; the average temperature rose by about {{cvt|3.4|C-change}} during this time. According to the record of full bloom dates of the Yoshino cherry in the Tidal Basin in [[Place:Washington, D.C.|Washington, D.C.]], the bloom date was April 5 in 1921, but it was March 31 in 2021. These records are consistent with the history of rapid increases in global mean temperature since the mid-1800s.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/03/29/japan-kyoto-cherry-blossoms-record/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210403174521if_/https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/03/29/japan-kyoto-cherry-blossoms-record/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2021-04-03 |title=Japan's Kyoto cherry blossoms peak on the earliest date in 1,200 years, a sign of climate change |newspaper={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |date=March 30, 2021 }}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210403110917/http://atmenv.envi.osakafu-u.ac.jp/aono/kyophenotemp4/ Cherry blossom phenology and temperature reconstructions at Kyoto.] Yasuyuki Aono. Osaka Prefecture University.</ref>

Japanese cherry trees grown in the Southern Hemisphere will bloom at a different time of the year. For example, in Australia, while the trees in the Cowra Japanese Garden bloom in late September to mid-October, the Sydney cherry blossom festival is in late August.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sakura Matsuri - Cherry Blossom Festival|url=https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/country-nsw/cowra-area/cowra/events/sakura-matsuri-cherry-blossom-festival|access-date=2024-01-14|website=www.visitnsw.com|language=en-AU}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival|url=https://www.timeout.com/sydney/things-to-do/sydney-cherry-blossom-festival|access-date=2024-01-14|website=www.timeout.com|language=en}}</ref>

== Flower viewing in Japan ==
{{Main|Biology:Hanami}}
[[File:2020-04-07 Prunus × yedoensis Tambasasayama,Hyogo(丹波篠山市篠山川のソメイヨシノ)DSCF2986☆彡.jpg|thumb|260px|left|[[Biology:Prunus × yedoensis|''Prunus'' × ''yedoensis'' 'Somei-yoshino' (Yoshino cherry)]]. The most popular cherry tree cultivar in Japan and the Asian region. One of the cultivars selected for the British Award of Garden Merit.]]
[[File:Cherry-Blossom-Utagawa-Hiroshige-36-Views-of-Mount Fuji-Series-7.jpg|thumb|upright|Woodblock print of [[Earth:Mount Fuji|Mount Fuji]] and cherry blossom from ''Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji'' by Hiroshige]]
{{transliteration|ja|"Hanami"}} is the many centuries-old practice of holding feasts or parties under blooming {{transliteration|ja|sakura}} ({{lang|ja|桜}} or {{lang|ja|櫻}}; {{lang|ja|さくら}} or {{lang|ja|サクラ}}) or {{transliteration|ja|ume}} (plum) trees. During the Nara period (710–794), when the custom is said to have begun, it was {{transliteration|ja|ume}} blossoms that people admired. By the Heian period (794–1185), however, cherry blossoms were attracting more attention, and {{transliteration|ja|'hanami'}} was synonymous with {{transliteration|ja|'sakura'}}.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nHf8lxLOYsUC&q=Hanami+nara&pg=PA12|page=12|title=Mizue Sawano: The Art of the Cherry Tree|author= Brooklyn Botanic Garden |publisher= Brooklyn Botanic Garden|year= 2006 |isbn= 978-1-889538-25-9}}</ref> From then on, in both {{transliteration|ja|waka}} and haiku, {{nihongo|"flowers"|花|hana}} meant "cherry blossoms". The custom was originally limited to the elite of the Imperial Court but soon spread to samurai society and, by the Edo period, to the common people as well. Tokugawa Yoshimune planted areas of cherry blossom trees to encourage this. Under the {{transliteration|ja|sakura}} trees, people held cheerful feasts where they ate, and drank {{transliteration|ja|sake}}.<ref name ="katsuki20152160">Toshio Katsuki (2015). ''Sakura'', pp. 2–7, 156–160. Iwanami Shoten. {{ISBN|978-4004315346}}</ref>

Since a book written in the Heian period mentions {{nihongo|"weeping cherry"|'しだり櫻, 糸櫻'}}, one of the cultivars with pendulous branches, [[Biology:Prunus itosakura|''Prunus itosakura'' 'Pendula' (Sidare-zakura)]] is considered the oldest cultivar in Japan. In the Kamakura period, when the population increased in the southern Kanto region, the Oshima cherry, which originated in Izu Oshima Island, was brought to Honshu and cultivated there; it then made its way to the capital, [[Place:Kyoto|Kyoto]]. The [[Biology:Prunus serrulata|Sato-zakura Group]] first appeared during the Muromachi period.<ref name ="katsuki2015"/>

[[File:Hokuto Yamanashi Yamatakajindaizakura 1.JPG|thumb|left|A tree about 2,000 years old ''{{ill|Jindai-zakura|ja|神代桜|vertical-align=sup}}'']]
[[Biology:Prunus itosakura|''Prunus itosakura'' (syn. ''Prunus subhirtella'', Edo higan)]] is a wild species that grows slowly. However, it has the longest life span among cherry trees and is easy to grow into large trees. For this reason, there are many large, old specimens of this species in Japan. They are often regarded as sacred and have become landmarks that symbolize Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, and local areas. For example, ''{{ill|Jindai-zakura|ja|神代桜|vertical-align=sup}},'' which is around 2,000 years old, ''{{ill|Usuzumi-zakura|ja|淡墨桜|vertical-align=sup}},'' which is around 1,500 years old, and ''{{ill|Daigo-zakura|ja|醍醐桜|vertical-align=sup}},'' which is around 1,000 years old, are famous for their age.<ref name ="katsuki2015178">Toshio Katsuki. (2015) ''Sakura''. pp.178–182. Iwanami Shoten. {{ISBN|978-4004315346}}</ref>

[[File:2014-05-10 12 34 11 Flowering Cherry along New Jersey Route 29 in Hopewell Township, New Jersey.JPG|thumb|'Kanzan' is a double-flowered cultivar developed in the Edo period. It has 20 to 50 petals in a flower.<ref>Toshio Katsuki (2015). ''Sakura'', pp. 93, 103–104. Iwanami Shoten. {{ISBN|978-4004315346}}</ref>]]
In the Edo period, various [[Biology:Double-flowered|double-flowered]] cultivars were produced and planted on the banks of rivers, in Buddhist temples, in Shinto shrines, and in daimyo gardens in urban areas such as Edo; the common people living in urban areas could enjoy them. Books from the period record more than 200 varieties of cherry blossoms and mention many varieties that are currently known, such as [[Biology:Prunus 'Kanzan'|'Kanzan']]. However, this situation was limited to urban areas, and the main objects of hanami across the country were still wild species such as {{ill|lt=''Prunus jamasakura'' (Yamazakura)|Prunus jamasakura (Yamazakura)|ja|ヤマザクラ|vertical-align=sup}} and Oshima cherry.<ref name ="katsuki2015"/>
[[File:Cherry blossom appearance.jpg|thumb|Photo of cherry blossoms]]
Since Japan was modernized in the Meiji period, the Yoshino cherry has spread throughout Japan, and it has become the main object of hanami.<ref name ="katsuki20152160"/> Various other cultivars were cut down one after another during changes related to the rapid modernization of cities, such as the reclamation of waterways and the demolition of daimyo gardens. The gardener Takagi Magoemon and the village mayor of Kohoku Village, Shimizu Kengo, were concerned about this situation and preserved a few by planting a row of cherry trees, of various cultivars, along the Arakawa River bank. In Kyoto, Sano Toemon XIV, a gardener, collected various cultivars and propagated them. After World War II, these cultivars were inherited by the [[Organization:National Institute of Genetics|National Institute of Genetics]], Tama Forest Science Garden and the Flower Association of Japan, and from the 1960s onwards were again used for hanami.<ref name ="katsuki20152115">Toshio Katsuki (2015). ''Sakura'', pp. 115–119. Iwanami Shoten. {{ISBN|978-4004315346}}</ref>

Every year, the Japanese Meteorological Agency and the public track the {{nihongo3|"[[Biology:Cherry blossom front|cherry blossom front]]"||sakura zensen}} as it moves northward up the archipelago with the approach of warmer weather, via nightly forecasts following the weather segment of news programs.<ref name="method">{{cite web |title=新しいサクラの開花予想 |url=http://www.data.jma.go.jp/sakura/data/cb/kaisetu24sakura.pdf |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130106160101/http://www.data.jma.go.jp/sakura/data/cb/kaisetu24sakura.pdf |archivedate=6 January 2013 |accessdate=1 March 2012 |publisher=Japan Meteorological Agency}}</ref> The blossoming begins in Okinawa in January and typically reaches [[Place:Kyoto|Kyoto]] and Tokyo at the end of March or the beginning of April. It proceeds northward and into areas of higher altitude, arriving in Hokkaido a few weeks later. The Japanese pay close attention to these forecasts and turn out in large numbers at parks, shrines, and temples, with family and friends, to hold flower-viewing parties.

Most Japanese schools and public buildings have cherry blossom trees planted outside of them. Since the fiscal and school years both begin in April, in many parts of Honshu the first day of work or school coincides with the cherry blossom season. However, while most cherry blossom trees bloom in the spring, there are also lesser-known winter cherry blossoms (''fuyuzakura'' in Japanese) that bloom between October and December.<ref>{{cite web |title=5 Places to See Japan's (Very Real) Winter Cherry Blossoms |url=https://travel.gaijinpot.com/japan-sightseeing-essentials/cherry-blossoms-japan/winter-cherry-blossoms-in-japan/ |website=GaijinPot Travel |date=12 December 2018 |publisher=Gaijin Pot |access-date=28 July 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

The Japan Cherry Blossom Association has published a list of Japan's Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots ({{lang|ja|{{ill|日本さくら名所100選|ja|vertical-align=sup}}}}),<ref>{{cite web|title=Japan's Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots – GoJapanGo (English language version of list)|url=http://www.gojapango.com/travel/japans_top_100_cherry_blossom_spots.htm|work=Japan's Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots – GoJapanGo|publisher=Mi Marketing Pty Ltd|access-date=9 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180515132206/http://www.gojapango.com/travel/japans_top_100_cherry_blossom_spots.htm|archive-date=15 May 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> with at least one location in every prefecture.

== Symbolism in Japan ==
[[File:100JPY.JPG|thumb|left|A 100 yen coin depicting cherry blossom]]
[[File:Castle Himeji sakura01 adjusted.jpg|thumb|left|Cherry blossoms at Himeji Castle, Japan]]
[[File:Michael Leitch, 2014-06-21.jpg|thumb|180px|right|The Japan national rugby union team is nicknamed the "Brave Blossoms" with the flowers on their chests.]]

In Japan, cherry blossoms symbolize clouds due to their characteristic of blooming ''{{lang|Fr|en masse}}'', and are considered an enduring metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life.<ref name=khoon>Choy Lee, Khoon (1995). ''Japan—between Myth and Reality'', p. 142.</ref> This traditional symbolism is associated with the influence of [[Philosophy:Shinto|Shinto]],<ref>Young, John, and Nakajima-Okano, Kimiko (1985). ''Learn Japanese: New College Text'', p. 268.</ref> embodied in the concept of ''[[Philosophy:Mono no aware|mono no aware]]''.<ref name=Slaymaker>Slaymaker, Douglas (2004). ''The Body in Postwar Japanese Fiction'', p. 122.</ref> The connection between cherry blossoms and ''mono no aware'' dates back to 18th-century scholar [[Biography:Motoori Norinaga|Motoori Norinaga]].<ref name=Slaymaker /> The transience of the blossoms, their beauty, and their volatility have often been associated with mortality<ref name=khoon /> and the graceful and ready acceptance of destiny and karma. Cherry blossoms frequently appear in Japanese art, manga, anime, and film, as well as stage set designs for musical performances. There is at least one popular folk song, originally meant for the shakuhachi (bamboo flute), titled "Sakura", in addition to several later pop songs bearing the name. The flower is also used on all manner of historical and contemporary consumer goods, including kimonos,<ref>{{Citation |title=Court Lady’s Garment (Kosode) with Swallows and Bells on Blossoming Cherry Tree |date=1868–1912 |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/648202?pkgids=761 |work=Asian Art at The Met}}</ref> stationery,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sakura: Cherry Blossoms as Living Symbols of Friendship |url=https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/cherry-blossoms/cherry-blossoms-in-japanese-cultural-history |access-date=17 January 2024 |website=Library of Congress}}</ref> and dishware.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/52281 |title=Large Dish with Cherry Blossoms |work=Asian Art at The Met |date= 1690–1720s}}</ref>

The ''Sakurakai,'' or Cherry Blossom Society, was the name chosen by young officers within the Imperial Japanese Army in September 1930 for their secret society established to reorganize the state along totalitarian militaristic lines, via a military coup d'état if necessary.<ref>McClain, James L. ''Japan: A Modern History'', p. 414. {{ISBN|0-393-04156-5}}</ref>

During [[Social:World War II|World War II]], cherry blossoms were used as a symbol to motivate the Japanese people and stoke nationalism and militarism.<ref name="ohnuki">Ohnuki-Tierney, Emiko. ''Kamikaze, Cherry Blossoms, and Nationalisms''. 2002, page 9-10.</ref> Even before the war, they were used in propaganda to inspire the "Japanese spirit", as in the "Song of Young Japan", exulting in "warriors" who were "ready like the myriad cherry blossoms to scatter".<ref>Piers Brendon, ''The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s'', p. 441. {{ISBN|0-375-40881-9}}</ref> In 1932, Akiko Yosano's poetry urged Japanese soldiers to endure suffering in China and compared the dead soldiers to cherry blossoms.<ref>McClain, James L. ''Japan: A Modern History'', p. 427. {{ISBN|0-393-04156-5}}</ref> Arguments that the plans for the Battle of Leyte Gulf, involving all Japanese ships, would expose Japan to danger if they failed were countered with the plea that the Navy be permitted to "bloom as flowers of death".<ref>John Toland, ''The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire 1936–1945'' p 539 Random House New York 1970</ref> The last message of the forces on Peleliu was "Sakura, Sakura".<ref>Meirion and Susie Harries, ''Soldiers of the Sun: The Rise and Fall of the Imperial Japanese Army'' p 424 {{ISBN|0-394-56935-0}}</ref> Japanese pilots would paint sakura flowers on the sides of their planes before embarking on a suicide mission, or even take branches of the trees with them on their missions.<ref name=ohnuki /> A cherry blossom painted on the side of a bomber symbolized the intensity and ephemerality of life;<ref>Sakamoto, Kerri: ''One Hundred Million Hearts''. Vintage Book, 2004. {{ISBN|0-676-97512-7}}.</ref> in this way, falling cherry petals came to represent the sacrifice of youth in suicide missions to honor the emperor.<ref name=ohnuki /><ref name="Morris">Ivan Morris, ''The Nobility of Failure: Tragic Heroes in the History of Japan'', p290 Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1975</ref> The first kamikaze unit had a subunit called ''Yamazakura'', or wild cherry blossom.<ref name=Morris /> The Japanese government encouraged the people to believe that the souls of downed warriors were reincarnated in the blossoms.<ref name=ohnuki />

Cherry blossoms are a prevalent symbol in Irezumi, the traditional art of Japanese tattoos. In this art form, cherry blossoms are often combined with other classic Japanese symbols like koi fish, [[Unsolved:Dragon|dragons]], or [[Biology:Tiger|tigers]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.freetattoodesigns.org/cherry-blossom-tattoo.html#sakura |title=Cherry Blossom Tattoo Designs |publisher=Freetattoodesigns.org |access-date=2013-06-14 |archive-date=22 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622220241/http://www.freetattoodesigns.org/cherry-blossom-tattoo.html#sakura |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The cherry blossom remains symbolic today. It was used for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics mascot, Someity.<ref name=":3">{{cite news |date=22 July 2018 |title=Olympic mascots Miraitowa and Someity invoke the future and cherry trees for 2020 Games |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/07/22/national/tokyo-games-organizers-introduce-mascots-miraitowa-someity-world/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722073052/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/07/22/national/tokyo-games-organizers-introduce-mascots-miraitowa-someity-world/ |archive-date=22 July 2018 |access-date=22 July 2018 |work=The Japan Times |agency=AFP-JIJI}}</ref> It is also a common way to indicate the start of spring, such as in the ''[[Software:Animal Crossing|Animal Crossing]]'' series of video games, where many of the game's trees bloom with cherry blossoms.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Diller |first=Nathan |date=6 April 2020 |title=Locals Are Getting Their Cherry Blossom Fix In Animal Crossing |url=https://dcist.com/story/20/04/06/locals-are-getting-their-cherry-blossom-fix-in-animal-crossing/ |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=DCist |language=en}}</ref>

== Cultivars ==
[[File:Miharu Miharu-Takizakura Front 1.jpg|thumb|[[Biology:Prunus itosakura|''Prunus itosakura'' 'Pendula Rosea' (Beni-shidare)]]. A tree over 1000 years old "Miharu Takizakura".]]
[[File:Kenrokuen-kumagai1.jpg|thumb|{{ill|lt=''Prunus serrulata'' 'Chousiuhizakura'|Prunus serrulata 'Chousiuhizakura'|ja|ケンロクエンクマガイ|vertical-align=sup}}. Also known as ''Kenrokuen-kumagai''. Large flowers and red leaves open at the same time. A DNA study in 2013 revealed that two were the same cultivar.<ref name ="ojfc"/><ref name ="ojfcffrri"/>]]
[[File:Omoigawa, Hakuoh University.jpg|thumb|{{ill|lt=''Prunus'' × ''subhirtella'' 'Omoigawa'|Prunus × subhirtella 'Omoigawa'|ja|オモイガワ|vertical-align=sup}}. 'Omoigawa' which was produced in Oyama City in 1954 is known as a cultivar in which 'Jugatsu-zakura' was mutated.<ref name ="oyama1">{{Cite web |url=https://www.city.oyama.tochigi.jp/soshiki/3/1559.html |title=小山市の花、木、鳥 |publisher=Oyama City |access-date=7 March 2021}}</ref>]]
Japan has a wide diversity of cherry trees, including hundreds of [[Biology:Cultivar|cultivar]]s.<ref>Brandow Samuels, Gayle.</ref> By one classification method, there are more than 600 cultivars in Japan,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200926115307/https://sakura.hibiyakadan.com/page.jsp?id=14549347 Variety of cherry blossom.] Hibiya-Kadan.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190212031148/http://www.kita-ryokka.or.jp/index.php?%E8%8A%B1%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B3%E3%83%BC%E3%83%8A%E3%83%BC%E3%80%802016%E5%B9%B404%E6%9C%88 General Incorporated Association Kitakyushu Ryokka Kyokai.]</ref> while the Tokyo Shimbun claims that there are 800.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/168395|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328231414/https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/168395|script-title=ja:白の輝き 新種のしだれ桜 茨城の「博士」が上野で発見|language=ja|publisher=Tokyo Shimbun|date=29 March 2022|archive-date=28 March 2022|access-date=12 January 2023}}</ref> According to the results of [[Biology:DNA|DNA]] analysis of 215 cultivars carried out by Japan's Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute in 2014, many of the cultivars that have spread around the world are hybrids produced by crossing [[Biology:Prunus speciosa|Oshima cherry]] and {{ill|Prunus jamasakura|lt=''Prunus jamasakura'' (Yamazakura)|ja|ヤマザクラ|vertical-align=sup}} with various wild species.<ref name ="ojfc"/><ref name ="ojfcffrri"/> Among these cultivars, the [[Biology:Prunus serrulata|Sato-zakura Group]] and many other cultivars have a large number of petals, and the representative cultivar is [[Biology:Prunus 'Kanzan'|''Prunus serrulata'' 'Kanzan']].<ref name ="katsuki2015137">Toshio Katsuki. (2015) ''Sakura''. p137 Iwanami Shoten. {{ISBN|978-4004315346}}</ref><ref name ="katsuki2015"/>

The following species, hybrids, and [[Biology:Variety (botany)|varieties]] are used for ''Sakura'' cultivars:<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://link.springer.com/content/esm/art:10.1007/s11295-014-0697-1/file/MediaObjects/11295_2014_697_MOESM5_ESM.pdf |title=Origins of Japanese flowering cherry (''Prunus'' subgenus ''Cerasus'') cultivars revealed using nuclear SSR markers |journal=Tree Genetics & Genomes |volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=477–487 |access-date=2019-02-11|doi=10.1007/s11295-014-0697-1 |year=2014 |last1=Kato |first1=Shuri |last2=Matsumoto |first2=Asako |last3=Yoshimura |first3=Kensuke |last4=Katsuki |first4=Toshio |last5=Iwamoto |first5=Kojiro |last6=Kawahara |first6=Takayuki |last7=Mukai |first7=Yuzuru |last8=Tsuda |first8=Yoshiaki |last9=Ishio |first9=Shogo |last10=Nakamura |first10=Kentaro |last11=Moriwaki |first11=Kazuo |last12=Shiroishi |first12=Toshihiko |last13=Gojobori |first13=Takashi |last14=Yoshimaru |first14=Hiroshi |s2cid=18606833 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Clone identification in Japanese flowering cherry (''Prunus'' subgenus ''Cerasus'') cultivars using nuclear SSR markers|journal=Breeding Science|volume=62|issue=3|pages=248–255|doi=10.1270/jsbbs.62.248|pmid=23226085|pmc=3501942|year=2012|last1=Kato|first1=Shuri|last2=Matsumoto|first2=Asako|last3=Yoshimura|first3=Kensuke|last4=Katsuki|first4=Toshio|last5=Iwamoto|first5=Kojiro|last6=Tsuda|first6=Yoshiaki|last7=Ishio|first7=Shogo|last8=Nakamura|first8=Kentaro|last9=Moriwaki|first9=Kazuo|last10=Shiroishi|first10=Toshihiko|last11=Gojobori|first11=Takashi|last12=Yoshimaru|first12=Hiroshi}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |script-title=ja:サクラ栽培品種の分類体系の再編とデータベース化 |url=http://www.ffpri.affrc.go.jp/pubs/seikasenshu/2013/documents/p58-59.pdf |language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |script-title=ja:桜の新しい系統保全 ―形質・遺伝子・病害研究に基づく取組―|url=http://www.ffpri.affrc.go.jp/pubs/chukiseika/documents/3rd-chuukiseika5.pdf |isbn=978-4-905304-19-7 |publisher=Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute Tama Forest Science Garden |language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=The observation of flowering dates in the Cherry Preservation Forest at the Tama Forest Science Garden over a 30 year period |url=http://agriknowledge.affrc.go.jp/RN/2010813972.pdf |journal=Bulletin of FFPRI |volume=10 |issue=l |pages=7–48 |date=March 2011 |language=ja}}</ref>
* ''[[Biology:Prunus apetala|Prunus apetala]]''
* ''[[Biology:Prunus campanulata|Prunus campanulata]]''
* ''Prunus × furuseana'' (''P. incisa'' × ''P. jamasakura''<ref name = "katsuki201796">Toshio Katsuki (2017). [https://web.archive.org/web/20210301110856/https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/treeforesthealth/21/2/21_93/_pdf ''Classification and morphological identification of cherry trees'' (サクラの分類と形態による同定). pp.96-97]</ref>)
* ''[[Biology:Prunus × incam|Prunus × incam]]'' (''P. incisa'' × ''P. campanulata'')
* ''[[Biology:Prunus incisa|Prunus incisa]]'' var. ''incisa''
* ''Prunus incisa'' var. ''kinkiensis''
* ''Prunus × introrsa''
* ''[[Biology:Prunus itosakura|Prunus itosakura]]'' (''Prunus subhirtella'', ''Prunus pendula'')
* ''{{ill|Prunus jamasakura|ja|ヤマザクラ|vertical-align=sup}}''
* ''Prunus × kanzakura'' (''P. campanulata'' × ''P. jamasakura'' and ''P. campanulata'' × ''P. speciosa''<ref name = "katsuki201796"/>)
* ''[[Biology:Prunus leveilleana|Prunus leveilleana]]'' (''Prunus verecunda'')
* ''Prunus × miyoshii''
* ''[[Biology:Prunus nipponica|Prunus nipponica]]''
* ''[[Biology:Prunus padus|Prunus padus]]''
* ''Prunus × parvifolia'' (''P. incisa'' × ''P. speciosa''<ref name = "katsuki201796"/>)
* ''[[Biology:Prunus pseudocerasus|Prunus pseudocerasus]]''
* ''Prunus × sacra'' (''P. itosakura'' × ''P. jamasakura''<ref name = "katsuki201796"/>)
* ''[[Biology:Prunus sargentii|Prunus sargentii]]''
* ''[[Biology:Prunus serrulata#Cultivars|Prunus serrulata var. lannesiana, Prunus lannesiana]]'' (''Prunus'' Sato-zakura group. Complex interspecific hybrids based on ''Prunus speciosa''.<ref>Toshio Katsuki (2015). ''Sakura'' pp.86-95. p.137. Iwanami Shoten. {{ISBN|978-4004315346}}</ref>)
* ''Prunus × sieboldii''
* ''[[Biology:Prunus speciosa|Prunus speciosa]]''
* ''[[Biology:Prunus × subhirtella|Prunus × subhirtella]]'' (''P. incisa'' × ''P. itosakura''<ref name = "katsuki201796"/>)
* ''Prunus × syodoi''
* ''Prunus × tajimensis''
* ''Prunus × takenakae''
* ''[[Biology:Prunus × yedoensis|Prunus × yedoensis]]'' (''P. itosakura'' × ''P. speciosa''<ref name = "katsuki201796"/>)

[[File:Yoshino Sakura Tidal Basin DC.jpg|thumb|left|[[Biology:Prunus × yedoensis|''Prunus'' × ''yedoensis'' 'Somei-yoshino' (Yoshino cherry)]]]]
The most popular cherry blossom cultivar in Japan is ''[[Biology:Prunus × yedoensis|Somei Yoshino (Yoshino cherry)]]''. Its flowers are nearly pure white, tinged with the palest pink, especially near the stem. They bloom and usually fall within a week before the leaves come out. Therefore, the trees look nearly white from top to bottom. The cultivar takes its name from the village of Somei, which is now part of Toshima in Tokyo. It was developed in the mid- to late-19th century, at the end of the Edo period and the beginning of the Meiji period. The ''Somei Yoshino'' is so widely associated with cherry blossoms that ''jidaigeki'' and other works of fiction often show the trees being cultivated in the Edo period or earlier, although such depictions are anachronisms.<ref name ="katsuki201540">Toshio Katsuki. (2015) ''Sakura''. pp.40–45 Iwanami Shoten. {{ISBN|978-4004315346}}</ref>

[[File:Kawazu-zakura3.jpg|thumb|''Prunus'' × ''kanzakura'' 'Kawazu-zakura' (Kawazu cherry), a representative cultivar of the cold season that blooms from late February to early March in Japan]]
''Prunus'' × ''kanzakura'' 'Kawazu-zakura' is a representative cultivar that blooms before the arrival of spring. It is a natural hybrid between the Oshima cherry and ''Prunus campanulata'' and is characterized by deep pink petals. Wild cherry trees usually do not bloom in cold seasons because they cannot produce offspring if they bloom before spring, when pollinating insects become active. However, it is thought that 'Kawazu-zakura' blooms earlier because ''Prunus campanulata'' from Okinawa, which did not originally grow naturally in Honshu, was crossed with the Oshima cherry. In wild species, flowering before spring is a disadvantageous feature of selection; in cultivars such as 'Kawazu-zakura', early flowering and flower characteristics are preferred, and they are propagated by grafting.<ref name ="katsuki201598">Toshio Katsuki. (2015) ''Sakura''. pp.98–100 Iwanami Shoten. {{ISBN|978-4004315346}}</ref>

Cherry trees are generally classified by species and cultivar, but in Japan they are also classified using names based on the characteristics of the flowers and trees. Cherry trees with more petals than the ordinary five are classified as ''yae-zakura'' ([[Biology:Double-flowered|double-flowered]] sakura), and those with drooping branches are classified as ''shidare-zakura'', or weeping cherry. Most ''yae-zakura'' and ''shidare-zakura'' are cultivars. Famous ''shidare-zakura'' cultivars include '[[Biology:Prunus itosakura|Shidare-zakura]]', '[[Biology:Prunus itosakura|Beni-shidare]]', and '[[Biology:Prunus itosakura|Yae-beni-shidare]]', all derived from the wild species ''[[Biology:Prunus itosakura|Prunus itosakura (syn, ''Prunus subhirtella'' or Edo higan)]]''.<ref name ="katsuki20158687">Toshio Katsuki. (2015) ''Sakura''. pp.86–87 Iwanami Shoten. {{ISBN|978-4004315346}}</ref>

The color of cherry blossoms is generally a gradation between white and red, but there are cultivars with unusual colors such as yellow and green. The representative cultivars of these colors are ''Prunus serrulata'' 'Grandiflora' A. Wagner (Ukon) and ''Prunus serrulata'' 'Gioiko' Koidz (Gyoiko), which were developed in the Edo period of Japan.<ref name ="katsuki20158695">Toshio Katsuki. (2015) ''Sakura''. pp.86–95 p.104 Iwanami Shoten. {{ISBN|978-4004315346}}</ref>

In 2007, [[Organization:Riken|Riken]] produced a new cultivar named 'Nishina zao' by irradiating cherry trees with a [[Physics:Ion beam|heavy-ion beam]]. This cultivar is a [[Biology:Mutation breeding|mutation]] of the green-petaled ''Prunus serrulata'' 'Gioiko' (Gyoiko); it is characterized by its pale yellow-green-white flowers when it blooms and pale yellow-pink flowers when they fall. Riken produced the cultivars 'Nishina otome' (blooms in both spring and autumn, or year-round in a greenhouse), 'Nishina haruka' (larger flowers), and 'Nishina komachi' ('lantern-like' flowers that remain partially closed) in the same way.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210302124605/https://www.riken.jp/en/about/history/story/zao/ Nishina Zao.] Riken.</ref><ref>[https://www.riken.jp/pr/fun/sakura/index.html A new kind of cherry blossom.] Riken.</ref>
{{Clear}}
{{Gallery
|align=center
|width=200
|height=155
|File:Shidare-zakura シダレザクラ2.jpg|[[Biology:Prunus itosakura|''Prunus itosakura'' 'Pendula' (Shidare-zakura)]]
|File:Weeping cherry tree in Daianji elementary school 02.jpg|[[Biology:Prunus itosakura|''Prunus itosakura'' 'Plena Rosea' (Yae-beni-shidare)]] is a cultivar having characteristics of both ''yae-zakura'' and ''shidare-zakura''.
|File:ウコン近接.jpg|''Prunus serrulata'' 'Grandiflora' A. Wagner (Ukon) with rare yellow flowers developed in the Edo period of Japan. One of the cultivars selected for the British Award of Garden Merit.
|File:Prunus lannesiana Gioiko 04.jpg|''Prunus serrulata'' 'Gioiko' Koidz (Gyoiko) with rare green flowers developed in the Edo period of Japan.
|File:Beniyutaka2.jpg|''Prunus × sieboldii'' 'Beni-yutaka'. One of the cultivars selected for the British Award of Garden Merit.
}}

All wild cherry trees produce small, unpalatable fruit or edible [[Biology:Cherry|cherries]], however in some cultivars the pistil changes like a leaf and loses its fertility. For example, ''Prunus serrulata'' 'Hisakura' (Ichiyo) and ''Prunus serrulata'' 'Albo-rosea' Makino (Fugenzo), which originated from the Oshima cherry, can only be propagated by artificial methods such as grafting and cutting.<ref name ="katsuki2015107">Toshio Katsuki. (2015) ''Sakura'' p.107 Iwanami Shoten. {{ISBN|978-4004315346}}</ref> Cherry trees grown for their fruit are generally cultivars of the related species ''[[Biology:Prunus avium|Prunus avium]]'' and ''[[Biology:Prunus cerasus|Prunus cerasus]]''.

== By country and region ==
=== Australia ===
[[File:07. Japanese Garden Pano, Cowra, NSW, 22.09.2006.jpg|thumb|Panoramic view from the Symbolic Mountain at the Japanese gardens. The view takes in the gardens and the plains of the Cowra district across to the nearby mountains.]]
During [[Social:World War II|World War II]], a [[Social:Prisoner of war|prisoner of war]] (POW) camp near the town of Cowra in New South Wales, Australia, was the site of one of the largest prison escapes of the war, on 5 August 1944. During the Cowra breakout and the subsequent rounding up of POWs, four Australian soldiers and 231 Japanese soldiers died and 108 prisoners were wounded. The Japanese War Cemetery holding the dead from the breakout was tended after the war by members of the Cowra RSL and ceded to Japan in 1963. In 1971 the Cowra Tourism Development decided to celebrate this link to Japan and proposed a Japanese garden for the town. The Japanese government agreed to support this development as a sign of thanks for the respectful treatment of their war dead; the development also received funding from the Australian government and private entities.<ref>Tam, Tracy, "[http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/08/19/national/history/australian-town-commemorates-1944-pow-camp-breakout/ Australian town commemorates 1944 POW camp breakout]", ''The Japan Times'', (Kyodo News), 19 August 2014</ref>

The garden was designed by Ken Nakajima (1914–2000), a world-renowned designer of Japanese gardens at the time. The first stage was opened in 1979, and the second stage in 1986. The gardens were designed in the style of the Edo period and are a ''kaiyū-shiki'' or strolling garden.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Young |first1=David E. |title=The art of the Japanese garden |last2=Young |first2=Michiko |last3=Simmons |first3=Ben |last4=Tan |first4=Yew Hong |last5=Young |first5=David E. |date=2011 |publisher=Tuttle Pub |isbn=978-4-8053-1125-7 |location=Tokyo Rutland, Vt}}</ref> They are designed to show all of the landscape types of Japan. At five hectares (12 acres), the Cowra Japanese Garden is the largest Japanese garden in the [[Earth:Southern Hemisphere|Southern Hemisphere]]. An annual cherry blossom festival during September is now a major event in Cowra's tourism calendar.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sakura Matsuri - Cherry Blossom Festival |url=https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/country-nsw/cowra-area/cowra/events/sakura-matsuri-cherry-blossom-festival |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=www.visitnsw.com |language=en-AU}}</ref>

=== Brazil ===
[[File:CuritibaPracaDoJapaoCerejeira.JPG|thumb|Cherry blossom in Praça do Japão (Japan Square), Curitiba, {{wipe|Brazil}}]]
With the Japanese diaspora to Brazil, many immigrants brought [[Biology:Seedling|seedling]]s of cherry trees. In São Paulo State, home to the largest Japanese community outside Japan, it is common to find them in Japan-related facilities and in home gardens, usually the cultivars ''[[Biology:Prunus serrulata|Prunus serrulata]]'' 'Yukiwari' and ''Prunus serrulata'' var. ''lannesiana'' 'Himalaya'. Some cities, such as Garça<ref name="Garca">{{cite web|title=Festa da Cerejeira em Garça recebe mais de 150 mil visitantes|url=http://g1.globo.com/sp/bauru-marilia/noticia/2014/07/festa-da-cerejeira-em-garca-recebe-mais-de-150-mil-visitantes.html|publisher=TV TEM|access-date=7 July 2015|language=pt|date=7 July 2014}}</ref> and Campos do Jordão,<ref name="Campos">{{cite web|title=Festa da Cerejeira em Flor 2014 celebra a Cultura do Japão em Campos do Jordão|url=http://www.guiadecamposdojordao.com.br/campos-do-jordao-noticias/Festa%20da%20Cerejeira%20em%20Flor%202014%20acontece%20em%20Julho%20e%20Agosto%20em%20Campos%20do%20Jord%C3%A3o-5560.html|publisher=Guia de Campos do Jordão|access-date=7 July 2015|language=pt|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707164403/http://www.guiadecamposdojordao.com.br/campos-do-jordao-noticias/Festa%20da%20Cerejeira%20em%20Flor%202014%20acontece%20em%20Julho%20e%20Agosto%20em%20Campos%20do%20Jord%C3%A3o-5560.html|archive-date=7 July 2015}}</ref> have annual festivals to celebrate the blooming of the trees and Japanese culture. In Parana State (in southern Brazil), cities also received many of these immigrants, who planted trees in Apucarana,<ref name="saka">{{cite web |title=Cerejeiras enfeitam cidade no norte do Paraná| publisher=Jornal Nacional|language=pt| access-date=2011-07-15| url=http://jornalnacional.globo.com/Telejornais/JN/0,,MUL1243172-10406,00-CEREJEIRAS+ENFEITAM+CIDADE+NO+NORTE+DO+PARANA.html}}</ref> Maringá, and Cascavel,<ref name="cass">{{cite web |title=Cerejeiras enfeitam Cascavel| publisher=Globo Vídeos|language=pt| access-date=2011-07-15| url=http://video.globo.com/Videos/Player/Noticias/0,,GIM1552862-7823-CEREJEIRAS+ENFEITAM+CASCAVEL,00.html}}</ref> and especially in the capital city of Curitiba.<ref name="cur1">{{cite web| title=Temporada das Cerejeiras em Curitiba| publisher=Diário Urbano| language=pt| access-date=2011-07-15| url=http://diariourbano.com.br/2010/07/06/temporada-cerejeiras-em-curitiba/| archive-date=27 March 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120327173809/http://diariourbano.com.br/2010/07/06/temporada-cerejeiras-em-curitiba/| url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the Curitiba, the first seedlings were brought by Japanese immigrants in the first half of the 20th century, and large numbers were planted in the 1990s with the opening of the Botanical Garden of Curitiba.<ref name="cur1" /> Nowadays, seedlings are produced locally and used in [[Earth:Afforestation|afforestation]] of streets and [[Engineering:Town square|squares]].<ref name="cur2">{{cite web |title=Novo colorido em parques e praças| publisher=Prefeitura de Curitiba|language=pt| access-date=2011-07-15| url=http://www.curitiba.pr.gov.br/noticias/cerejeiras-dao-novo-colorido-a-parques-e-pracas/23547}}</ref> In Praça do Japão (Japan Square) there are more than 30 cherry trees that were sent by the Japanese Empire to Curitiba.<ref name="cur3">{{cite web |title=Japan Square| publisher=Prefeitura de Curitiba| access-date=2011-07-15| url=http://www.curitiba.pr.gov.br/idioma/ingles/pracajapao}}</ref>

=== Canada ===
[[File:12Cherry blossoms.JPG|thumb|Cherry blossoms in Canada, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario]]
{{wipe|Vancouver}}, British Columbia, is famous for its thousands of cherry trees (estimated 50,000) lining many streets and in many parks, including Queen Elizabeth Park and Stanley Park. Vancouver holds the [[Biology:Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival|Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival]] every year.<ref>{{cite web
 |url= http://www.vcbf.ca/
 |title=Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival – VCBF.CA
 |work=vcbf.ca
 |access-date=26 April 2010
}}</ref> With multiple varieties and a temperate climate, they begin to bloom in February yearly and peak in April. In 2022, this outdoor festival of arts and culture from many communities ran from April 1st to 23rd.

[[File:Cherry Blossom on English Bay Beach, Vancouver.jpg|thumb|Cherry blossoms mark the beginning of Spring in {{wipe|Vancouver}}.]]

High Park in Toronto, Ontario, features many Somei-Yoshino cherry trees (the earliest species to bloom and much loved by the Japanese for their fluffy white flowers) that were given to Toronto by Japan in 1959. Through the Sakura Project, the Japanese Consulate donated a further 34 cherry trees to High Park in 2001, plus cherry trees to various other locations like Exhibition Place, McMaster University, York University (near Calumet College and on Ottawa Road near McLaughlin College) and the [[Organization:University of Toronto|University of Toronto]]'s main campus (next to Robarts Library) and Scarborough campus. Niagara Falls has many trees near the falls themselves. Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington and Hamilton was also the recipient of several Somei-Yoshino cherry trees donated as part of the Sakura Project. The trees are located in the Arboretum and the Rock Garden and were planted to celebrate the continual strengthening of friendship between Japan and Canada. Peak bloom time at the Royal Botanical Gardens is normally around the last week of April or the first week of May.

=== China ===
[[File:Longwangtang Cherry Blossom Park.JPG|thumb|Longwangtang Cherry Blossom Park in Liaoning, {{wipe|China}}]]
Cherry trees grow naturally in the middle northern and southern parts of China, where they are known as '''yinghua''' ({{lang|zh|櫻花}}) in Chinese. During the Tang Dynasty, Japan diplomatic groups brought the cherry blossom back to Japan from China.

However, some of the most famous cherry blossom parks in China reflect Japan's brief occupation of parts of China during the first half of the 20th century or donations from Japan: a notable example is Qinglong Temple in Xi’an. Cherry Blossom orchards were brought in by the Japanese monk [[Biography:Kūkai|Kūkai]] in 806CE as a gift to commemorate his time as a student at the temple.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.careerchina.com/blog/best-places-enjoy-Cherry-Blossoms-in-China|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401033728/https://www.careerchina.com/blog/best-places-enjoy-Cherry-Blossoms-in-China|title=10 Best Places to Enjoy Cherry Blossoms in China|website=www.careerchina.com|language=en|access-date=2019-04-01|archive-date=1 April 2019}}</ref>

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, twenty-eight cherry blossom trees were planted at Wuhan University by Japanese troops. After the war it was decided that the trees would be preserved despite their historical implications. In 1972, as China-Japan relations normalized, about 800 trees were donated to Wuhan University. Other donations added to their numbers in the following years. Currently, Wuhan University has about one thousand cherry blossom trees of different kinds. 80% of these cherry trees are direct descendants of trees planted by the Japanese. In 2020, when cherry blossom viewing became impossible due to the spread of [[Medicine:COVID-19|COVID-19]], updates on the flowering of cherry trees at Wuhan University were posted on the Web and viewed a total of 750 million times.<ref name = "nec2021">[https://web.archive.org/web/20210424051504/https://wisdom.nec.com/ja/series/tanaka/2021032401/index.html Nobuhiko Tanaka (2021) ''Why do Chinese people come to view cherry blossoms? Chinese people rediscovered cherry blossoms through Japan.''] NEC. March 24, 2021.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210522165010/https://diamond.jp/articles/-/266359?page=2 ''Why Japanese-style cherry blossom viewing and cherry blossom viewing spots are on the rise in China.''] Diamond online. March 24, 2021</ref>

Gifts of cherry blossoms trees have also signified friendship between China and Japan. In 1973, the year following the Japan–China Joint Communiqué, Japan sent cherry trees to China as a symbol of friendship, and they were planted in Yuyuantan Park in [[Place:Beijing|Beijing]]. After that, further trees were propagated and planted, and the park became famous for cherry blossoms.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210522163847/http://www.mutusinpou.co.jp/news/2018/04/50965.html ''Wuhan City delegation to learns about cherry blossom management in Hirosaki Park.''] The Mutsu Shimpo. April 27, 2018.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210522173349/https://www.nishinippon.co.jp/item/n/322318/ China Now (24).] Nishinippon Shimbun. April 17, 2017.</ref>

In 1997, the Japanese Michinoku Bank and arborist Kazio Saito planned to open a cherry blossom park in [[Place:Wuhan|Wuhan City]] for the sake of the friendship between the two countries, and the Japanese city of Hirosaki, home to Hirosaki Park famous for its cherry blossoms, began to advise Wuhan City on the planting and cultivation of cherry trees. In 2016 Wuhan City and Hirosaki City signed a friendship agreement. [[Biology:East Lake Cherry Blossom Park|East Lake Cherry Blossom Park]] opened in 2001, and 2.5 million people came to see the blossoms in 2018. There are sixty kinds of cherry trees, including Yoshino cherry and weeping cherry.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210522163138/https://from-aomori.com/2019/05/01/chinas-east-lake-cherry-blossom-garden-sweat-and-tears-of-the-unsung-hero-from-aomori/ ''China’s East Lake Cherry Blossom Gaeden sweat and tears of the unsung hero from Aomori.''] From Aomori in Japan-Local News & Article Site. May 1, 2019.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210522163558/https://www.hananokai.or.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/sakuranomeisyo.pdf ''Cherry Blossom Spots''. p.19.]</ref>

International Cherry Blossom Week in Wuxi began in the 1980s, when Keishiro Sakamoto and Kiyomi Hasegawa, Japanese citizens, planted 1,500 cherry trees in the China-Japan Friendship Cherry Blossom Forest. As of 2019, the Friendship Cherry Blossom Forest attracts 500,000 viewers each year, and is home to 100 kinds of cherry trees.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190330073907/https://www.afpbb.com/articles/-/3217483 ''Wuxi International Cherry Blossoms Week. Cherry blossoms promote friendship between China and Japan.''] Agence France-Presse. March 27, 2019</ref>

At the beginning of the 21st century, the popularity of cherry blossoms in China rapidly increased due to an increase in the number of visitors to Japan and the spread of [[Social:Social networking service|SNS]], and many cherry blossom parks have opened throughout China. According to statistics from 2019, the number of cherry blossom-related tourists reached 340 million and the amount spent exceeded 60 billion [[Finance:Renminbi|yuan]].<ref name = "nec2021"/>

Some notable cherry blossom sites in China include:
* [[Biology:Longwangtang Cherry Blossom Park|Longwangtang Cherry Blossom Park]] in Lushun, Dalian, Liaoning
* [[Biology:East Lake Cherry Blossom Park|East Lake Cherry Blossom Park]] near Wuhan University, in Donghu District, [[Place:Wuhan|Wuhan]], Hubei
* Wuhan University, in Donghu District, [[Place:Wuhan|Wuhan]], Hubei
* Nanshan Botanical Garden in Nan'an District, [[Place:Chongqing|Chongqing]]
* Pingba Cherry Blossom Park in Guizhou
* Yuantouzhu in Wuxi

=== France ===
[[File:Cerisiers en fleurs au parc de Sceaux.JPG|thumb|Blooming cherry blossom trees in Parc de Sceaux, France]]
Parc de Sceaux, located in a suburb of [[Place:Paris|Paris]], has two orchards of cherry trees, one for white cherry blossoms (''[[Biology:Prunus avium|Prunus avium]]'') and one for pink cherry blossoms (''[[Biology:Prunus serrulata|Prunus serrulata]]'').<ref>{{Cite web |last=Landouer |first=Pierre-Yves |title=Parc de Sceaux |url=http://www.european-trees.com/index.php?page=sceaux.htm&rubrique=photos |access-date=17 January 2024 |website=European trees}} Orchard detail on interactive map</ref> The orchards combined make up 264 trees,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Parc de Sceaux. Chateau de Sceaux |url=https://www.parisdigest.com/paris-gardens/parc-de-sceaux.htm |access-date=17 January 2024 |website=Paris Digest}}</ref> which attract many visitors when they bloom in early April.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hartmann |first=Christian |date=12 April 2019 |title=Spring in blossom |url=https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/spring-in-blossom-idUSRTS2EU8W/ |access-date=17 January 2024 |website={{wipe|Reuters}}}}</ref> Additional plantings are present in the capital along the Seine River, near Notre-Dame de Paris, and in the Bastille area.<ref>{{Cite web |last=((Newsflare)) |date=9 April 2022 |title=Cherry blossoms in full swing in beautiful Paris |url=https://sg.news.yahoo.com/cherry-blossoms-full-swing-beautiful-140000315.html |access-date=17 January 2024 |website=Yahoo News Singapore}}</ref>

=== Germany ===
[[File:Bonn, Breite Straße -- 2020 -- 6522.jpg|thumb|left|Cherry blossoms on Breite Strasse in [[Place:Bonn|Bonn]], North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany]]
Cherry blossoms are a major tourist attraction in Germany's Altes Land [[Biology:Orchard|orchard]] region. The largest Hanami in Germany, organized by the German-Japanese society, with Japanese-style fireworks, draws tens of thousands of spectators to [[Place:Hamburg|Hamburg]] every spring. 

In 1990, Japan donated cherry blossoms to be planted along prior sections of the Berlin Wall, to express appreciation for the German reunification. The gift was supported by donations from the Japanese people allowing over 9,000 trees to be planted. The first trees were planted in November of that year near the Glienicke Bridge.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Sakura Campaign – The State of Berlin|url=http://stadtentwicklung.berlin.de/umwelt/stadtgruen/stadtbaeume/en/sakura/index.shtml|website=Berlin.de|access-date=2 April 2017}}</ref>

The Cherry Blossom festival in the Bonn Altstadt ({{ill|Kirschblütenfest Bonn|de|vertical-align=sup}}) is also very famous.

Starting in 2015, Hamburg was allowed to bestow the title of "Cherry Blossom Queen" by the Japan Cherry Blossom Association, one of only three cities worldwide to receive this privilege. The first Cherry Blossom Queen of Hamburg was crowned by the Cherry Blossom Queen of Japan on 23 May 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.djg-hamburg.de/aktuelles.html|publisher=Deutsch-Japanische Gesellschaft zu Hamburg e.V.|access-date=2015-04-25|title=Aktuelles aus der Gesellschaft}}</ref>

=== India ===
[[File:Zosterops japonicus, Cibodas Botanical Gardens, Java.jpg|thumb| ''Prunus cerasoides'' is a wild Himalayan cherry tree, a common type of cherry blossom in India.]]

In {{wipe|India}}, cherry blossoms are a notable attraction in Himalayan states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim and northern districts of West Bengal, namely Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling, as well as Nagaland, Manipur and the tropical highlands of Garo Hills and Khasi Hills in Meghalaya, where ''[[Biology:Prunus cerasoides|Prunus cerasoides]]'' is native.<ref name="Navendu Pāgé">{{cite web |url=http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Wild%20Himalayan%20Cherry.html |title=''Cerasus cerasoids'' – Wild Himalayan Cherry |first=Navendu |last=Pāgé |publisher=Flowers of India |access-date=9 July 2014}}</ref> These states are notable for ''Prunus cerasoides'' trees, called wild cherry blossom trees, which cover the Himalayan foothills and bloom twice a year during the spring and autumn months. They can also be seen in various British-era botanical gardens, especially in the Nilgiri Hills in the Western Ghats in southern India.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sites.google.com/site/efloraofindia/species/m---z/r/rosaceae/prunus |title=efloraofindia species rosaceae prunus|work=efloraofindia}}</ref><ref>Prunus cerasoides by Divya Chandran, 2019 https://thepapyrus.in/index.php/sakura-magic-in-the-nilgiris-wild-cherry-blossom-pollachi-papyrus/</ref> The flowers bloom every six months, between January and late March, and between late September and November.<ref name="iopscience.iop.org">{{cite journal |last1=Kurniawan |first1=V |title= Phenology and morphological flower of Prunus cerasoides Buch.-Ham. Ex D. Don|journal= IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science|date=16 May 2021 |volume=948 |issue=1 |page=8 |doi=10.1088/1755-1315/948/1/012047 |bibcode=2021E&ES..948a2047K |s2cid=245259406 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mapsofindia.com/india-tour/shillong/cherry-blossoms-in-shillong|title=Cherry Blossoms in Shillong|work=mapsofindia.com}}</ref>

''[[Biology:Prunus cerasoides|Prunus cerasoides]]'', called wild Himalayan cherry, Indian wild cherry, and sour cherry, is known in [[Social:Hindi|Hindi]] as ''padam'', ''pajja'', or ''padmakashtha''.<ref name="Navendu Pāgé"/><ref name="GRIN">{{GRIN | ''Prunus cerasoides'' | 29865 | access-date=24 January 2014}}</ref> Among Hindus in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, it is considered sacred and associated with [[Religion:Vishnu|Vishnu]] and [[Religion:Shiva|Shiva]].<ref>Trees In Indian Art Mythology And Folklore, Bansi Lal Malla (2000), p.56</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Joseph |first1=Nino |title=Prunus cerasoides D. Don: A Review on Its Ethnomedicinal Uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322797785 |website=researchgate |publisher=International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review and Research |access-date=14 January 2018}}</ref> During Maha Shivaratri, the leaves are used to make a wreath with wild citrus fruits, which is hung at the prayer altar. The leaves are also used as incense.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Verma |first1=Shruti |title=Celebrating Shivratri the Pahari style |url=http://www.himvani.com/47766/want-celebrate-shivratri-pahari-way-heres-cheat-sheet/ |website=himvani.com |date=13 February 2018 |access-date=13 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Jishtu |first1=Vaneet |title=Padmakh (Pajja) – An Amazing Native Autumn Flowering Tree From Shimla Hills |url=https://hillpost.in/2016/12/padmakh-pajja-an-amazing-native-autumn-flowering-tree-from-shimla-hills/107746/ |website=hillpost.in |date=6 December 2016 |access-date=6 December 2016}}</ref>

Some cherry blossom festivals are held in India during October–November, when ''Prunus cerasoides'' blooms.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/GpIviaBFwmmj0HSfL8Sk9N/Lounge-loves-Indias-first-cherry-blossom-festival.html|title=Cherry blossom festival |first=Ananda |last=Banerjee |publisher=Livemint |access-date=12 Nov 2016|date=11 November 2016}}</ref> Shillong is notable for its cherry blossom festival during the autumn.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/outlooktraveller/explore/story/62059/shillong-cherry-blossom-festival|title=Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival|first=Precious |last=Kamei |publisher=outlookindia |access-date=13 December 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cntraveller.in/story/indias-cherry-blossom-festival-takes-place-month|title=Cherry blossom festival takes place this month |first=Shradha |last=Shahani |publisher=cntraveller |access-date= 2 November 2018|date=2 November 2018}}</ref>

=== Indonesia ===
In Indonesia, cherry blossoms can be found in the Cibodas Botanical Garden in West Java.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cherry blossom lures visitors to Cibodas Botanical Garden|url=https://www.thejakartapost.com/travel/2018/01/15/cherry-blossom-lures-visitors-to-cibodas-botanical-garden.html|website=thejakartapost.com|date=13 January 2018 |access-date=10 March 2021}}</ref> These trees are of the ''[[Biology:Prunus cerasoides|Prunus cerasoides]]'' species. Cibodas Botanical Garden belongs to the tropical rain forest climate, and the trees begin to flower in January, followed by full flowering in February, and the flowers start to fall in March. The second flowering period begins in June and peaks in August, and the flowers fall in October.<ref name="iopscience.iop.org"/>

=== Korea ===
[[File:Cherry blossoms at POSTECH.jpeg|thumb|Cherry blossoms at POSTECH, South Korea]]
[[File:Cherryblossm in south korea.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Cherry blossom trees in a Korean campus]]
Cherry trees have been used in Korea in making bows and woodblocks (Palman Daejanggyeong). According to tradition, monks used wood from silver magnolias, white birches, and cherry trees from the Southern coast of the peninsula for these purposes.<ref>{{cite web | title=A History of Tripitaka Koreana, the World's Greatest Collection of Buddhist Scriptures | date=20 January 2017 | url=https://theculturetrip.com/asia/south-korea/articles/a-history-of-tripitaka-koreana-the-worlds-greatest-collection-of-buddhist-scriptures/ }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | script-title=ko:팔만대장경을 만들어 낸 우리나무, 벚나무 |trans-title=cherry tree which made the Palman Daejanggyeong |language=ko | url=http://www.k-heritage.tv/brd/board/909/L/CATEGORY/911/menu/901?brdCodeField=CATEGORY&brdCodeValue=911&bbIdx=2766&brdType=R&tab=#}}</ref> The Japanese planted [[Biology:Prunus × yedoensis|Yoshino cherry]] trees at Seoul's Changgyeonggung Palace during Japanese rule.<ref>{{cite web | script-title=ko:가슴과 어깨에 벚꽃을 꽂고 희생 다짐하는 18세 조종사 | url=http://www.koreadaily.com/news/read.asp?art_id=917888 | publisher=Joongang | access-date=2009-01-03|language=ko}}</ref> Cherry blossom viewing festivals continued in Korea even after the Japanese surrendered at the end of WWII, but they have been controversial, and many cherry trees were cut down to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Japanese surrender, as they were seen as symbols of the occupation.<ref name="ohnuki122">Ohnuki-Tierney, Emiko. ''Kamikaze, Cherry Blossoms, and Nationalisms''. 2002, page 122-3.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.investkorea.org/InvestKoreaWar/work/journal/content/content_main.jsp?code=4560408 |title=Biting the cherry: Cherry blossoms and their attendant festivals herald the spring in Korea despite associations with a dark chapter with the country's history |first=Choi |last=Sung-Un |journal=IK-Journal |year=2008 |access-date=2009-11-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008010258/http://www.investkorea.org/InvestKoreaWar/work/journal/content/content_main.jsp?code=4560408 |archive-date=8 October 2011  }}</ref> Even still, Koreans continue to plant cherry trees and festivals attract a wide range of tourists,<ref>{{cite web |title=전국 봄꽃 축제 어디로 갈까? |trans-title=National spring flower Festival, Where to go? |work=Dong-a Ilbo |date=23 March 2017 |url=http://www.edudonga.com/?p=article&ps=view&at_no=20170323132751272573&ckattempt=1}}</ref> and cherry blossoms in Korea are associated with purity and beauty.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cherry Blossom |url=http://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=1713197&cid=42912&categoryId=42912&isPvTop=Y |website=naver dictionary |language=ko}}</ref>

Many Korean media have asserted that the Yoshino cherry is the same species as a Korean indigenous, endangered species called the [[Biology:King cherry|King cherry]], whose mass cultivation is being studied.<ref>{{cite web |title=포트맥 강변의 왕벚나무도 제주도산 |trans-title=King cherry around Potmac river derived from Jeju |work=Chosun.com |date=7 February 2017 |url=http://pub.chosun.com/client/news/viw.asp?cate=C01&mcate=M1003&nNewsNumb=20170223370&nidx=23371 |quote=두 나라에서 발견된 왕벚나무는 유전적으로 동일합니다[Cherry trees found in both countries are genetically identical] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=왕벚꽃 100년 논란 "제주가 진짜 원산지" |trans-title=King cherry 100 years controversy "Jeju is the real origin" |work=Yonhapnews |date=26 March 2017 |url=http://www.yonhapnews.co.kr/bulletin/2017/03/24/0200000000AKR20170324174900056.HTML}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Vascular Plant Diversity of Jeju Island, Korea |last=Kim |first=Chan-Soo |journal=Korean Journal of Plant Resources |volume=22 |number=6 |pages=558～570 |year=2009 |url=http://ocean.kisti.re.kr/downfile/volume/prsk/JOSMBA/2009/v22n6/JOSMBA_2009_v22n6_558.pdf}}</ref> In 2007, a genetic analysis comparing King cherry and Yoshino cherry trees concluded that the trees are distinct species.<ref name="Roh2007">{{cite journal |author=Roh, M.S. |author2=Cheong, E.J. |author3=Choi, I-Y |author4=Young, Y.H. | year=2007|title=Characterization of wild ''Prunus yedoensis'' analyzed by inter-simple sequence repeat and chloroplast DNA. | journal=Scientia Horticulturae|volume=114|issue=2|pages=121–128|doi=10.1016/j.scienta.2007.06.005}}</ref> In 2016, another DNA study suggested independent origins of the King cherry and Yoshino cherry,<ref>{{cite journal |title=The origin of flowering cherry on oceanic islands: The saga continues in Jeju Island. |journal=Botany |year=2016 |last=Cho |first=Myong-suk |display-authors=0 |url=http://2016.botanyconference.org/engine/search/index.php?func=detail&aid=71 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170402165711/http://2016.botanyconference.org/engine/search/index.php?func=detail&aid=71 |archive-date=2 April 2017  }}</ref> and later that year the new scientific name ''Cerasus'' × ''nudiflora'' was given to the King cherry to distinguish it from the Yoshino cherry (''Prunus'' × ''yedoensis'').<ref name="Katsuki2016">{{cite journal |title=Nomenclature of Tokyo cherry (Cerasus × yedoensis 'Somei-yoshino', Rosaceae) and allied interspecific hybrids based on recent advances in population genetics |last=Katsuki |first=Toshio | display-authors=0 |journal=Taxon |volume=65 |number=6 |date=December 2016 |pages=1415–1419 | doi=10.12705/656.13}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Korean Red List of Threatened Species Second Edition |publisher=National Institute of Biological Resources |year=2014 |page=156 |quote=Prunus × yedoensis Matsumura, Rosales: Rosaceae, Prunus × yedoensis is a deciduous tree endemic to Korea that only about 5 populations occur at Mt. Halla in Jeju-do. The estimated number of individuals is very small. This species is found in deciduous broadleaf forests at 450–900 m above sea level. The species is assessed as EN B2ab(iv). There are currently no regional conservation measures. |url=http://www.nationalredlist.org/files/2016/04/Korean-Red-List-of-Threatened-Species-English-compressed-2.pdf}}</ref> 

In Korea, most of the sites for cherry blossom festivals, including Yeouido and Jinhae, are still planted with Yoshino cherry trees.<ref>{{cite web |title=벚꽃 '한-일 원산지 논쟁' 왜 끝나지 않나 |trans-title=Cherry "Korea-Japan origin controversy" Why does not end? |date=3 April 2015 |publisher=Hankyoreh |url=http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/environment/685392.html |language=ko|quote=여의도와 진해를 포함해 우리나라 벚꽃축제의 주인공은 모두 일본이 원예종 으로 만든 왕벚나무이다. [The protagonists of Cherry Blossom Festivals in Korea including Yeouido and Jinhae are all cultivated Yoshino cherry made in Japan.]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=[단독]여의도 화려한 벚꽃뒤엔…일본 ''검은 속셈'' 있었나 |trans-title=Behind the brilliant Japanese cherry blossom – Dark ulterior motives? |date=22 January 2008 |publisher=Segye.com |quote=... From 1966 until the mid-1980s, Koreans in Japan and Japanese people donated about 60,000 cherry seedlings to Jinhae City. |url=http://www.segye.com/content/html/2006/04/03/20060403000571.html |language=ko}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=때되면 한-일 원산지 논쟁, 벚꽃에게 물어봐! |trans-title=Korea-Japan Origin debate. Ask cherry! |date=3 April 2015 |publisher=The Hankyoreh |url=http://ecotopia.hani.co.kr/271769}}</ref> According to the results of a survey published in 2022, most of the cherry trees planted in the National Assembly area and Yeouido, two of the capital's most famous cherry blossom viewing spots, were Japanese Yoshino cherry trees, including 90.4% of the cherry trees in the National Assembly area and 96.4% in Yeouido, and none were Korean King cherry trees.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.v.daum.net/v/20220406115612680|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407041556/https://news.v.daum.net/v/20220406115612680|script-title=ko:국회·여의도 벚나무 90% 일본산 '소메이요시노 벚나무'|language=ko|publisher=New1 Korea|date=6 April 2022|archive-date=7 April 2022|access-date=4 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.naver.com/main/read.naver?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=102&oid=081&aid=0003263664|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407101500/https://news.naver.com/main/read.naver?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=102&oid=081&aid=0003263664|script-title=ko:국회·여의도 벚나무는 일본산… 토종 왕벚나무가 하나도 없다|language=ko|publisher=Seoul Shinmun|date=6 April 2022|archive-date=7 April 2022|access-date=4 February 2023}}</ref> Based on the results of this survey, King Cherry Project 2050, an incorporated association, plans to gradually replace Yoshino cherry trees with King cherry by around 2050.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.naver.com/main/read.naver?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=102&oid=025&aid=0003186391|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411031616/https://news.naver.com/main/read.naver?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=102&oid=025&aid=0003186391|script-title=ko:2050년 거리엔 '한국 벚꽃' 날리자…"벚꽃 해방" 나선 사람들|language=ko|publisher=JoongAng Ilbo|date=10 April 2022|archive-date=11 April 2022|access-date=4 February 2023}}</ref> In addition, more than 90% of the cherry trees in Jinhae, famous for its cherry blossom festival, are Yoshino cherry trees, imported from Japan in the 1960s, and many others have been found to be Japanese [[Biology:Prunus itosakura#Cultivars|weeping cherry]] trees. It has been suggested that these also be replaced with the King cherry.<ref name="Yonhap20170404">{{cite web |title=한라산 자생 우수품종 왕벚나무로 일본산 대체한다 |trans-title=Replace Japanese trees with the excellent varieties of King cherry trees native to Mt. Halla |date=4 April 2017 |work=Yonhapnews |url=http://www.yonhapnews.co.kr/bulletin/2017/04/04/0200000000AKR20170404125000056.HTML}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.naeil.com/news_view/?id_art=455340|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326173707/http://www.naeil.com/news_view/?id_art=455340|script-title=ko:「진해 군항제 벚나무는 일본 벚나무 일색」|language=ko|publisher=내일신문|date=24 March 2023|archive-date=26 March 2023|access-date=29 March 2023}}</ref>

=== Myanmar ===
Cherry blossoms are found in the temperate regions of Myanmar.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sanctum-inle-resort.com/5-most-beautiful-myanmar-flowers/|title=5 Most Beautiful Myanmar Flowers {{!}} Sanctum Inle Resort|website=sanctum-inle-resort.com|access-date=2019-04-09}}</ref> The town Pyin Oo Lwin, known as "The Land of Cherries", is famous for its cherry blossoms during the spring.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pyinoolwin.info/|title=Pyin Oo Lwin Myanmar's Highland City of Flowers|website=www.pyinoolwin.info|access-date=2019-04-08|archive-date=17 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917202750/http://www.pyinoolwin.info/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g580107-d447601-r339660737-Maymyo_Botanical_Garden_National_Kandawgyi_Park-Pyin_Oo_Lwin_Maymyo_Mandalay_Regi.html|title=Beautiful Weather and cherry blossom season – Review of Maymyo Botanical Garden (National Kandawgyi Park), Pyin Oo Lwin (Maymyo), Myanmar|website=TripAdvisor|language=en|access-date=2019-04-09}}</ref> Some cherry trees, genetically modified to be able to survive in the tropical climate, were also planted in [[Place:Yangon|Yangon]], the commercial capital, as part of a friendship program with Japan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://elevenmyanmar.com/news/cherry-tree-planting-ceremony-held-in-yangon|title=Cherry tree planting ceremony held in Yangon |date=2019-01-28|website=Eleven Media Group Co., Ltd.|language=en-US|access-date=2024-01-17}}</ref>

=== Netherlands ===
[[File:Sakura Amsterdamse Bos.jpg|thumb|Sakura Amsterdamse Bos]]
In the year 2000, the Japan Women's Club (JWC) donated 400 cherry blossom trees to the city of Amstelveen.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=JWC -The Japan Women's Club- |url=http://jwcamstelveen.web.fc2.com/english.html |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=jwcamstelveen.web.fc2.com}}</ref> The trees have been planted in the cherry blossom park in the Amsterdamse Bos. Every tree has a name — 200 trees have female Japanese names, and 200 trees have female Dutch names. At the annual April event, JWC members wear kimono and celebrate the cherry blossoms in the park.<ref name=":1" />

=== New Zealand ===
[[File:Christchurch cherry blossoms and water wheel.jpg|thumb|Cherry blossoms and water wheel in Hagley Park]]
Hagley Park is the largest [[Engineering:Urban open space|urban open space]] in [[Place:Christchurch|Christchurch]], [[Earth:New Zealand|New Zealand]] and has many cherry blossom trees of several varieties.<ref>{{cite web |title=Spring blossoms in Hagley Park Christchurch |date=16 August 2015 |publisher=New Zealand Travel Insider |url=http://www.newzealandtravelinsider.com/places-to-visit/spring-blossoms-hagley-park-christchurch-new-zealand.htm}}</ref>
Aston Norwood Gardens, north of [[Place:Wellington|Wellington]], has the largest number of [[Biology:Prunus × yedoensis|Prunus × yedoensis]] cherry blossom trees in New Zealand.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Dominion Post|publisher=Stuff/Fairfax|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/destinations/nz/wellington/300520879/discover-wellingtons-secret-cherry-blossom-garden|title=Discover Wellington's secret cherry blossom garden|first=Siobhan|last=Downes|date=8 May 2022|accessdate=1 April 2023}}</ref>

===Spain===
{{ill|El Cerezo en Flor|es}} is a cherry blossom festival that takes place annually in Valle del Jerte, in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura. More than 1500 cherry fruit trees bloom in the valley between approximately March 15 and April 10, starting with trees lower down in the valley. The flowers last about 10 days. During the week when the flowers are in bloom, the eleven villages in the valley celebrate their historical and current culture, gastronomy, and architecture. Traditional homes, forges, and wine cellars open their doors to the public. It has been designated a Fiesta of National Tourist Interest.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Valle del Jerte, nature's white |url=https://www.spain.info/en/discover-spain/jerte-valley-caceres/ |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=www.spain.info}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Cerezo en flor 2024 |url=https://www.turismovalledeljerte.com/cerezo-en-flor |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=www.turismovalledeljerte.com}}</ref>

The village of Alfarnate in Andalusia (near Málaga) is known for its cherry orchards, and holds a cherry festival (Festival de la Cereza) each year in June.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Alfarnate Cherry Festival |url=https://www.andalucia.com/festival/festivaldecereza.htm |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=www.andalucia.com}}</ref> The village noticed that people from the Japanese community in Spain were visiting in April to view the cherry blossoms, and in 2022 they decided to hold their first cherry blossom festival. The Sakura Alfernate festival was expanded in 2023, with the backing of the Japanese embassy, to include lectures on sakura and Japanese culture, and workshops and demonstrations of Japanese art, music, and martial arts. The 2023 festival was held on April 15 and 16. Along with its 4000 cherry fruit trees, the village has a garden of 47 cherry blossom trees.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Spanish village soaks up Japanese traditions for cherry blossom festival |url=https://efe.com/en/other-news/2023-04-16/spanish-village-soaks-up-japanese-traditions-for-cherry-blossom-festival/ |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=efe.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Cherry blossom festival in Alfarnate 2023 |url=https://www.andaluciamia.com/en/tours/cherry-blossom-festival-in-alfarnate/ |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=www.andaluciamia.com}}</ref>

===Taiwan===
Typically found in mountainous areas, cherry blossoms are a popular attraction in Taiwan, with numerous specially tailored viewing tours. Among the most easily accessible and thus most popular locations for viewing them are [[Earth:Yangmingshan|Yangmingshan]], in [[Place:Taipei|Taipei]], and Wuling Farm, in Taichung.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sui |first=Celeste |date=2023-02-21 |title=Ultimate Taiwan Cherry Blossom Guide — a cheaper and less touristy alternative to catch the flowers in bloom |url=https://thetravelintern.com/taiwan-cherry-blossoms/ |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=The Travel Intern |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Thailand ===
Native wild cherry blossoms of the species [[Biology:Prunus cerasoides|''Prunus cerasoides'']] are found in Northern Thailand,<ref>{{cite web |title=Northern Thailand's Own Sakura Cherry Blossoms |publisher=Siam and Beyond |url=http://siamandbeyond.com/northern-thailands-sakura-cherry-blossoms/ |date=11 January 2014 |access-date=28 December 2017 |archive-date=29 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171229002314/http://siamandbeyond.com/northern-thailands-sakura-cherry-blossoms/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> in addition to growing throughout the Himalayas.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Chandel |first1=V. |last2=Rana |first2=T. |last3=Hallan |first3=V. |last4=Zaidi |first4=A. A. |year=2007 |title=Wild Himalayan Cherry (Prunus cerasoides) as a Natural Host of Prunus necrotic ringspot virus in India |journal=Plant Disease |volume=91 |issue=12 |pages=1686 |doi=10.1094/PDIS-91-12-1686C |pmid=30780621 |doi-access=}}</ref> Over 100,000 trees of this species were planted in 2010 in Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jariyasombat |first=Peerawat |date=9 January 2018 |title=Where cherry blossoms bloom in Thailand |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/1392798/where-cherry-blossoms-bloom-in-thailand |access-date=24 January 2024 |website=Bangkok Post}}</ref> at the mountainous region of Phu Lom Lo, a grassland previously used for farming [[Biology:Cabbage|cabbages]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Karnjanatawe |first=Karnjana |date=10 December 2020 |title=Chase the cherry blossoms in Phu Lom Lo |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/travel/2033075 |access-date=24 January 2024 |website=Bangkok Post}}</ref>

=== Turkey ===
[[File:Sakura Tree Blossom - Turkey, Ankara, Dikmen Vâdisi - Spring, 2015.jpg|thumb|Cherry blossoms in [[Place:Turkey|Turkey]]. (Ankara/Dikmen Vâdisi, Spring 2016)]]
In 2005, Japanese cherry trees were presented by Japan to the Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanical Garden in Istanbul, Turkey. Each tree represents one sailor of the frigate ''Ertugrul'', a famous frigate of the Ottoman Turkish navy which sank on the way back from a goodwill visit to Japan in 1890 due to a typhoon. 587 Ottoman Turkish sailors were lost, but the Japanese Coast Guard saved 67 sailors, and their return to Turkey formed the foundation for the relationship between the two countries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pink Route: Cherry Blossom in Turkey |url=https://www.motleyturkey.com/destination/motley-routes/pink-route-cherry-blossom-in-turkey/ |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=Motley Turkey |language=en-GB}}</ref> The Japanese cherry trees represent the memory of those who died and provide annual remembrance.<ref>{{Cite web |last=AA |first=Daily Sabah with |date=2023-04-07 |title=Sakura trees: Symbol of Japanese-Turkish amity blossom in Istanbul |url=https://www.dailysabah.com/turkiye/istanbul/sakura-trees-symbol-of-japanese-turkish-amity-blossom-in-istanbul |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=Daily Sabah |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== United Kingdom ===
From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, Collingwood Ingram collected and studied Japanese cherry blossoms and created various cultivars such as Okame and Kursar. Ingram's work allowed {{ill|Taihaku|ja|タイハク|vertical-align=sup}}, a cultivar that had disappeared in Japan in the early 20th century, to return to Japan.<ref name ="katsuki2018166">Toshio Katsuki. (2018) ''Sakura no Kagaku (Science of Cherry Blossoms)''. pp.166–169 SB Creative. {{ISBN|978-4797389319}}</ref><ref name ="katsuki2015119">Toshio Katsuki. (2015) ''Sakura''. pp.119–123 Iwanami Shoten. {{ISBN|978-4004315346}}</ref>

Cherry trees are widely cultivated in public and private gardens throughout the UK, where the climate is well suited to them. Batsford Arboretum in Gloucestershire, {{wipe|England}} holds the national collection of Japanese village cherries in the [[Biology:Prunus serrulata|Sato-zakura Group]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.batsarb.co.uk |title=Batsford Arboretum |publisher=Batsarb.co.uk |access-date=2009-11-30}}</ref> [[Organization:Keele University|Keele University]] in Staffordshire, England has one of the UK's largest collections of flowering cherries, with more than 150 varieties.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.keele.ac.uk/arboretum/trees/cherries/ |title=Keele University Arboretum flowering cherry collection |publisher=keele.ac.uk |access-date=2011-03-28}}</ref> The Royal Horticultural Society has given its prestigious Award of Garden Merit to many flowering cherry species and cultivars.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf | title = AGM Plants – Ornamental | date = July 2017 | page = 67 | publisher = Royal Horticultural Society | website = www.rhs.org | access-date = 18 February 2020}}</ref>

In March 2020, in the first national lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic in England, the [[Organization:National Trust|National Trust]] initiated the #BlossomWatch campaign, inspired by cherry blossom festivals in Japan.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bawden |first=Tom |date=2020-03-27 |title=National Trust asks public to take a moment to enjoy the blossom |url=https://inews.co.uk/news/blossomwatch2020-national-trust-appeal-springtime-walks-blossom-412549 |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=inews.co.uk |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Blossom watch |url=https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/places-to-spot-spring-blossom |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=National Trust |language=en}}</ref> The campaign encouraged people to share images of the first signs of Spring, in particular [[Biology:Blossom|blossoms]], on lockdown walks.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2021-04-24 |title=Blossom watch day: National Trust urges UK to share blooms |url=http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/24/blossom-watch-day-national-trust-urges-uk-to-share-blooms |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref> The campaign was repeated in 2021 and 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jenkins |first=Bethan Rose |date=2021-03-18 |title=National Trust's BlossomWatch campaign to help boost wellbeing is back |url=https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/news/a35873327/national-trust-blossomwatch-campaign/ |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=Good Housekeeping |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-23 |title=The National Trust wants you to go outside and enjoy the spring blossoms |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/spring-blossoms-national-trust-outdoors-b2063371.html |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref>

=== United States ===
[[File:Washington C D.C. Tidal Basin cherry trees.jpg|thumb|upright|Cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C.]]
Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore introduced the idea of planting Japanese cherry trees in Washington, D.C., a vision that became a reality in 1912.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOtz-EIRYWA | title=Whose idea was it to bring cherry blossoms to DC? | website=[[Company:YouTube|YouTube]] }}</ref> Japan gave 3,020 flowering cherry trees as a gift to the United States in 1912 to celebrate the growing friendship between the two countries, replacing an earlier gift of 2,000 trees that had to be destroyed due to disease in 1910. These trees were planted in Sakura Park in {{wipe|New York City}}, and lined the shore of the Tidal Basin and the roadway in East Potomac Park in [[Place:Washington, D.C.|Washington, D.C.]]<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.nps.gov/cherry/cherry-blossom-history.htm
|title=nps.gov – Cherry Blossom History
|access-date=13 January 2009
}}</ref> The first two original trees were planted by the first lady Helen Taft and Viscountess Chinda on the bank of the Tidal Basin. The gift was renewed with another 3,800 trees in 1965.<ref name=":2">Jefferson, Roland M. and Alan F. Fusonie. (1977). [http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20090416084430/http://naldr.nal.usda.gov/NALWeb/Agricola_Link.asp?Accession=CAT78696066 "The Japanese Flowering Cherry Trees of Washington, D.C.: A Living Symbol of Friendship. National Arboretum Contribution No. 4."] Washington: USDA, [[Organization:Agricultural Research Service|Agricultural Research Service]].</ref> In Washington, D.C. the cherry blossom trees continue to be a popular tourist attraction (and the subject of the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival) when they reach full bloom in early spring.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/?id=574 |title=The Nation's Greatest Springtime Celebration |publisher=National Cherry Blossom Festival |access-date=14 June 2013}}</ref> Just outside of Washington, the suburb of Kenwood in Bethesda, Maryland, has roughly 1,200 trees, which are popular with locals and tourists.<ref name="voan_Spec">{{cite web | title = Spectacular Cherry Blossoms in Maryland Lure International Visitors | last = Block | first = Deborah | work = VOA | date = 12 April 2013 | access-date = 24 March 2016 | url = http://www.voanews.com/content/spectacular_cherry_blossoms_in_maryland_lure_international_visitors/1640634.html }}</ref>

New Jersey's [[Biology:Branch Brook Park|Branch Brook Park]], which is maintained by Essex County, is the oldest county park in the United States and is home to the largest collection of cherry blossom trees in one US location, with about 5,000.<ref>{{cite web   | title = Student scientists track nation's largest collection of cherry blossom trees at Essex County park  | work = The Star-Ledger  | date = 13 August 2010   | url = http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/08/aspiring_scientists_track_coun.html | access-date = 2012-04-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last = Hinds | first = Kate | title = Cherry Blossom Trees Flourish in Newark   | publisher = WNYC | date = 25 March 2012 | url = http://culture.wnyc.org/articles/features/2012/mar/25/newarks-cherry-blossom-trees | access-date = 2012-04-10 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120331004048/http://culture.wnyc.org/articles/features/2012/mar/25/newarks-cherry-blossom-trees/ | archive-date = 31 March 2012 | df = dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Di Ionno|first1=Mark|title=The story behind Branch Brook Park's cherry blossom trees|url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/03/the_story_behind_branch_brook_parks_cherry_blossom.html|access-date=9 February 2018|work=The Star-Ledger|date=27 March 2016}}</ref>

Balboa Park in San Diego has 1,000 cherry blossom trees that blossom in mid- to late March. In Los Angeles, over 2,000 trees are located at Lake Balboa in Van Nuys. These trees were donated by a Japanese benefactor, and were planted in 1992; however, the trees in this area have been dying off due to drought conditions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://la.curbed.com/2015/10/1/9915438/lake-balboas-famous-cherry-blossom-trees-are-dying-off|title=Lake Balboa's Famous Cherry Blossom Trees Are Dying Off|last=Barragan|first=Bianca|date=2015-10-01|website=Curbed LA|language=en|access-date=2019-10-30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20150930/lake-balboas-cherry-trees-fall-victim-to-drought|title=Lake Balboa's cherry trees fall victim to drought|date=2015-09-30|website=Daily News|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-30}}</ref>

Philadelphia is home to over 2,000 flowering Japanese cherry trees, half of which were a gift from the Japanese government in 1926 in honor of the 150th anniversary of American independence, with the other half planted by the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia between 1998 and 2007. Philadelphia's cherry blossoms are located within Fairmount Park, and the annual Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia celebrates the blooming trees. The [[Organization:University of Washington|University of Washington]] in Seattle also has cherry blossoms in its [[Engineering:Quadrangle (architecture)|quadrangle]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stunning Cherry Blossom at University of Washington Quad |url=https://www.thatsoundsawesome.com/listing/the-quad-uw-cherry-blossoms/ |access-date=2024-01-05 |website=That Sounds Awesome |language=en-US}}</ref>

The Japanese American Historical Plaza located in Tom McCall Waterfront Park in {{wipe|Portland, Oregon}} has one hundred cherry blossoms in the park, which were planted during the construction of the park in 1990.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.travelportland.com/attractions/cherry-blossoms/ | title=Where to Find Portland Cherry Blossoms | date=8 December 2023 }}</ref>

Other US cities have an annual cherry blossom festival (or ''sakura matsuri''), including the [[Biology:International Cherry Blossom Festival|International Cherry Blossom Festival]] in Macon, Georgia, which features over 300,000 cherry trees. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York City also has a large, well-attended festival.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbg.org/exp/cherries/sakura.html |title=BBG.org |publisher=BBG.org |date=26 April 2008 |access-date=14 June 2013}}</ref> Portsmouth, New Hampshire is the site of the peace conference that produced the Treaty of Portsmouth, for which the original Washington, D.C. cherry trees were given in thanks.<ref name=":2" /> Several cherry trees planted on the bank of the tidal pond next to Portsmouth City Hall were the gift of Portsmouth's Japanese sister city of Nichinan—the hometown of Marquis Komura Jutarō, Japan's representative at the conference.<ref>{{cite web|first=Stephanie |last=Seacord |url=http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20100415-NEWS-4150431 |title=Cherry trees have historical significance |publisher=SeacoastOnline.com |access-date=14 June 2013}}</ref> Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, has 200 [[Biology:Prunus × yedoensis|somei yoshino]] trees, a gift from its sister institution, Japan's Chubu University.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ohio.edu/outlook/07-08/April/434.cfm |title=Ohio University Outlook |publisher=Ohio.edu |access-date=14 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301202317/https://www.ohio.edu/outlook/07-08/April/434.cfm |archive-date=1 March 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref><gallery mode="packed" heights="150" class="left">
File:USA-Cherry Blossom0.jpg|Cherry blossoms bloom by the thousands every spring in Washington, D.C.
File:Newark cherry blossoms.jpg|Cherry blossoms in Newark, New Jersey
File:Cherry Blossoms Owensboro Public Library 4-6-15.JPG|Cherry blossoms in Owensboro, Kentucky
</gallery>

=== Vietnam ===
In Vietnam, cherry blossoms are scarce, concentrated mainly in the northern mountainous provinces and the Central Highlands. These trees are mainly of the ''kanhizakura'' variety. In Da Lat, there is a type of cherry blossom belonging to the ''kanhizakura x okamezakura'' variety, scientifically named ''[[Biology:Prunus cerasoides|prunus cerasoides]]'', commonly known as mai anh dao, wild mai, or cherry blossom. In 2013, the Japanese government gifted Vietnam a number of cherry blossom trees to commemorate the cooperative relationship between the two countries.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-08-29 |title=Có một công viên hoa anh đào ở Hà Nội |url=https://tienphong.vn/post-1133887.tpo |access-date=2023-04-06 |website=Báo điện tử Tiền Phong |language=vi}}</ref> These cherry trees from Japan were planted at the Japanese Embassy on Lieu Giai Street, [[Place:Hanoi|Hanoi]], and in Sapa. In 2019, some cherry trees gifted by Japan bloomed in Hanoi<ref>{{Cite web |last=VnExpress |title=20.000 cành anh đào nở rộ giữa trung tâm Hà Nội |url=https://vnexpress.net/20-000-canh-anh-dao-no-ro-giua-trung-tam-ha-noi-3902321.html |access-date=2023-04-06 |website=vnexpress.net |language=vi}}</ref> and Ho Chi Minh City.

== Culinary use ==
{{stack begin}}
{{Multiple image
   | width     = 120
   | footer    =
   | image1    = Sakura yu2.jpg
   | alt1      = Pickled blossoms
   | caption1  = Pickled blossoms
   | image2    = Sakura yu.jpg
   | alt2      = A cup of sakurayu
   | caption2  = A cup of [[Biology:Sakurayu|sakurayu]]
}}
{{stack end}}

Cherry blossoms and leaves are edible, and both are used as food ingredients in Japan:
* The blossoms are pickled in salt and umezu (ume vinegar), and used for coaxing out flavor in wagashi, a traditional Japanese confectionery, or anpan, a Japanese sweet bun most-commonly filled with red bean paste.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-05-01 |title=Preserved Cherry Blossoms and Sakura Vinegar|url=https://www.diversivore.com/preserved-cherry-blossoms/ |access-date=2023-06-10 |website=Diversivore |language=en-CA}}</ref>
* Salt-pickled blossoms in hot water are called [[Biology:Sakurayu|sakurayu]] and drunk at festive events like weddings in place of [[Biology:Green tea|green tea]].
* The [[Biology:Leaf|leaves]], mostly from the [[Biology:Prunus speciosa|Ōshima cherry]] because of the softness, are also pickled in salted water and used for [[Biology:Sakuramochi|sakuramochi]].
* The fruit, called {{Nihongo|''sakuranbo''|桜ん坊}}, is small and does not have much flesh beyond the seed within. Due to their bitter taste, the ''sakuranbo'' are not eaten raw, or whole; the seed inside is removed and the fruit itself processed as preserves.
* Cherry blossoms are used as a flavoring botanical in Japanese Roku gin.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bartenders' guide to foraging: Cherry blossom |url=https://www.diffordsguide.com/encyclopedia/1651/cocktails/bartenders-guide-to-foraging-cherry-blossom |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=www.diffordsguide.com |language=en}}</ref>

Since the leaves contain [[Chemistry:Coumarin|coumarin]], which is toxic in large doses, it is not recommended to eat them in great quantities. Likewise, cherry blossom seeds and bark contain [[Chemistry:Amygdalin|amygdalin]] and should not be eaten.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bricault |first=Robert |date=13 March 2017 |title=Cherry blossom toxicity? #388219 |url=https://ask2.extension.org/kb/faq.php?id=388219 |access-date=15 January 2024 |website=Ask Extension}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mekonnen |first=Serkalem |title=I Swallowed A Cherry Pit! |url=https://www.poison.org/articles/i-swallowed-a-cherry-pit-184 |access-date=15 January 2024 |website=Poison Control}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:BC Legislative Building with Cherry Trees in Bloom - Victoria BC - Canada.jpg|BC Legislative Building with cherry trees in bloom, Victoria, British Columbia
File:Cherryblossoms Canada 03.jpg|Spring cherry blossoms at the university campus, Vancouver, Canada
File:Cherry Tree Blossoms at Camosun College - Interurban Campus.jpg|Cherry Tree Blossoms at Camosun College, Greater Victoria, British Columbia
File:8Cherry blossoms.JPG|Cherry blossoms at Hamilton, Canada
File:Kirsikkapuisto during cherry blossom in Roihuvuori, Helsinki, 2022 May - 2.jpg|Cherry blossom at Kirsikkapuisto in [[Place:Helsinki|Helsinki, Finland]]
File:Cherry blossoms. Eastern Siberia.jpg|Cherry blossoms. Eastern Siberia
File:Osaka-Castle-cherry-blossom-2018-Luka-Peternel.jpg|Cherry blossom at Osaka Castle
File:Yoshino-yama-cherry-blossom-2018-Luka-Peternel.jpg|Cherry blossom at [[Religion:Mount Yoshino|Mount Yoshino]]
File:櫻花-南投魚池金龍山 Cherry blossom-Jinlongshan, Yuchi, Nantou 20220216205715 02.jpg|Cherry blossom, Jinlong Mountain, Taiwan
File:Cherry Blossom Festival Washington DC.JPG|Thousands of people attend the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival every spring in Washington, D.C.
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{columns-list|colwidth=35em|
* ''The Cherry Orchard'': play by Anton Chekhov
* Cherry Tree Park
* Kabazaiku: sakura wood craftsmanship
* Kigo: discussion of the role of ''sakura'' in Japanese poetry
* List of Award of Garden Merit flowering cherries
* ''Ohka'': special attack aircraft used in World War II
* Saigyōzakura
* Sakura Square
* Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia
* [[Biology:Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival|Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival]]
}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons and category|Cherry blossoms|Prunus in flower}}
* [https://www.japancherryblossom.com/ Japanese Cherry Blossom Guide]
* [http://www.japanese-city.com/calendar/events/p/cherry.php Japanese Cherry Blossom Events & Locations]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080429184917/http://www.sakurafestival.dk/index.php Copenhagen Sakura Festival]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150912064729/http://db1.ffpri-tmk.affrc.go.jp/sakura/home.php Flowering cherry Database, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute]
* [http://www.ffpri.affrc.go.jp/pubs/chukiseika/3rd-chuukiseika5.html Flowering cherry introduction, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute]
* [http://www.cherryblossom.com/ International Cherry Blossom Festival Online], Information about the 300,000 Yoshino cherry trees in Macon, Georgia, and the 10-day celebration held in mid-March
* [http://www.vcbf.ca/ Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival], Information about the 37,000 cherry trees in Greater Vancouver (Canada), What's in bloom now, Cherry Scout reports and maps, Cultivar identification.
* [http://jasgp.org/cherryblossomfestival/ Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090901135100/http://jasgp.org/cherryblossomfestival/ |date=1 September 2009 }}, Information about cherry trees and the annual two-week Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia.
* [https://blog.safarmasti.com/cherry-blossom-in-japan/ Cherry Blossoms Celebration In Japan]
* [http://www.turismovalledeljerte.com/ Cherry Blossoms Celebration Tourism Office Valle del Jerte in Spain]


[[Category:Cherry blossom| ]]
[[Category:Cherries]]
[[Category:Flowers]]
[[Category:Prunus]]

fi:Kirsikat

{{Sourceattribution|Cherry blossom}}