Microcerasus tomentosa (Nanking cherry, "Yusuraume")

Japanese name: ユスラウメ （梅桃、山桜桃梅、英桃）
Scientific name: Microcerasus tomentosa

[Overview]
A deciduous shrub growing to 2–3 m tall.
It branches freely.
Young branches are densely hairy.
The leaves are simple and alternate, obovate, 4–7 cm long, with a pair of glands at the base and irregular serrations along the margin.
The upper surface of the leaf has fine hairs, and the underside is especially densely hairy.
The flowers open before the leaves unfold or at almost the same time.
Umbels arising from the leaf axils of the previous year's branches bear 1–3 flowers.
The flowers are 5-petaled, 1.5–2 cm across, and pale pink or white.
The calyx tube is long.
There is usually no pedicel, and if present it is very short.
The fruit is spherical, about 1 cm across, and ripens to red.

[History]
It was introduced from China in the early Edo period and is cultivated.

[Uses]
The fruit is edible and is used to make fruit liqueur.
The seeds are used medicinally.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by cuttings.
Sow seeds immediately after removing the flesh, or store them in a cool, dark place so they do not dry out and sow them the following spring.
It prefers fertile soil that is sunny, well drained and moisture-retentive.
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 a thank-you fertilizer.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

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