Microcerasus japonica(Japanese bush cherry, "Niwaume")
Japanese name: ニワウメ（庭梅） Scientific name:Microcerasus japonica
[Overview]
A deciduous shrub growing to about 1.5 m tall.
It branches well.
Young branches are purplish green.
The leaves are simple and alternate, ovate, 4–6 cm long, with fine doubly serrate margins.
It flowers before the leaves open or at about the same time.
Umbels borne in the leaf axils of the previous year's branches carry 1–3 flowers each.
The flowers have 5 petals, are about 1.3 cm across, and are pale pink or white.
The flowers have short flower stalks.
The fruit is spherical, about 1.3 cm in diameter, and ripens to a deep red.
[History]
It was introduced from China long ago and is cultivated.
[Uses]
The fruit is edible.
The seeds are used medicinally.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed, cuttings, layering, or division.
Remove the flesh from the seeds and sow them immediately, or store them in a cool, dark place so they do not dry out and sow them the following spring.
It prefers sunny, well-drained, moisture-retentive, fertile soil.
For potted plants, water when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
After flowering, apply a small amount of organic fertilizer as fertilizer after flowering.
There are no particular pests or diseases.
