Cerasus apetala var. apetala ("Miyamachojizakura")

Japanese name: ミヤマチョウジザクラ （深山丁字桜）
Scientific name: Cerasus apetala var. apetala

[Overview]
A small deciduous tree about 4–7 m tall.
The trunk branches from the base, giving an umbrella-shaped crown.
The leaves are obovate to oblong-oblanceolate, 4–8 cm long and 2–4 cm wide, with a tail-like pointed tip and a rounded to obtuse base.
The leaf margin has somewhat sharp double teeth.
Both sides of the leaf are hairy, especially on the veins of the underside.
The petiole has long, somewhat curly spreading hairs.
Two nectaries are borne on the upper part of the petiole, and several small ones are also borne at the base of the blade.
It flowers at the same time as the leaves unfold or slightly earlier.
The flowers are borne 1–3 together, pointing downward, in umbels arising from the leaf axils; they are white to faintly pale pink, 5-petaled, and 1.6–2 cm across.
The petals are longer than the stamens.
There are about 25 stamens.
The calyx tube is cylindrical, 7–11 mm long, slightly swollen at the base, and the calyx lobes are triangular-ovate, 3–5 mm long.
The flower stalk is about 2 mm long, and the secondary flower stalks are 0.7–2 cm long and densely covered with spreading hairs.
The fruit is about 8 mm across and ripens black.
It can be distinguished from Choji-zakura by the sparse hairs on the calyx tube and petiole and by the pointed tips of the teeth.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed, by cuttings, or by grafting.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained place.
If it becomes a problem by growing into a large tree in a garden, it is good to limit the space available to the roots with a fabric pot to control the size of the tree.
While it is a young tree, protect it from frost by spreading straw around the base.
Also, it is better not to cut branches needlessly.
It suffers from many pests and diseases, so caution is needed.

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