Cerasus spachiana ‘Pendula-rosea’ ("Benishidare")

Japanese name: ベニシダレ （紅枝垂）
Scientific name: Cerasus spachiana ‘Pendula-rosea’

[Overview]
A horticultural cultivar of the Edo-higan group.
The branches are long and weeping.
The leaves are oblong-oblanceolate to linear-oblong, with sharply pointed tips.
The upper surface of the leaves is hairless.
The undersides of the leaves are hairy, especially on the veins.
The leaf margins have fine serrations, sometimes mixed with double serrations.
The petioles are densely covered with upward-pointing hairs.
It flowers before the leaves unfold.
The flowers are borne 3 at a time in umbels at the leaf axils; they are pale reddish purple, 5-petaled and 2 cm in diameter, though there is variation.
The calyx tube is short and urn-shaped, swollen into a globe at the base, and densely hairy on the outside.
The calyx lobes are serrated and densely hairy on the outside.
There is almost no flower stalk, and the pedicels are densely covered with obliquely ascending hairs.
The fruit is spherical, ripens blackish purple, and has an astringent taste.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed, cuttings, or grafting.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained location.
If you are concerned about it becoming a large tree in the garden, it is good to restrict the space in which the roots spread by using a fabric pot, in order to control the size of the tree.
While the plant is a young tree, protect it from frost by laying straw around the base, for example.
Also, it is better not to cut the branches needlessly unless necessary.
Because it is prone to many pests and diseases, care is needed.

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