Cerasus ‘Yokohama-hizakura’ ("Yokohamahizakura")

Japanese name: ヨコハマヒザクラ （横浜緋桜）
Scientific name: Cerasus ‘Yokohama-hizakura’

[Overview]
A garden cultivar from a cross between Kenrokuen-kumagai and Kanhi-zakura.
A small deciduous tree.
The branches grow obliquely upward.
The leaves are simple and alternate, elliptic to obovate, 11 cm long and 6 cm wide.
The leaves are thick, and the undersides are rather whitish.
The leaf margins have fine double teeth, sometimes mixed with single teeth.
The petiole is 1.5 cm long and reddish purple, with 2 nectaries a little below the top.
The flowers open before the leaves appear.
The flowers are borne 2–3 in a corymb arising from the leaf axils; they are reddish purple, 5-petaled and about 3 cm across.
The flowers sometimes have a standard petal.
The calyx tube is bell-shaped, and the calyx lobes are ovate-triangular with entire margins.
Both the calyx tube and the calyx lobes are deep reddish purple.

[History]
This cultivar was bred by Isao Shirai of Yokohama.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings or grafting.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained place.
If it becomes a problem when it grows into a large tree in a garden, it is good to restrict the space for the roots with a fabric pot to control the size of the tree.
While it is a young tree, protect it from frost by laying straw around the base.
Also, it is better not to prune branches needlessly.
Pests and diseases are numerous, so care is needed.

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