Cerasus leveilleana ("Kasumizakura")

Japanese name: カスミザクラ （霞桜）
Scientific name: Cerasus leveilleana

[Overview]
A deciduous tree growing to 20 m tall.
The trunk is purplish brown, with conspicuous horizontally arranged lenticels.
Young branches are yellowish brown and hairless, sometimes with soft hairs.
The color of the young leaves varies from reddish brown to green.
The leaves are obovate to obovate-elliptic, 7–12 cm long, with a tail-like pointed tip and usually a rounded base.
Soft hairs grow sparsely on both sides of the leaves.
The petiole is 1.5–2 cm long, usually with spreading hairs, and has 2 wart-like nectar glands in the upper part.
The leaf margins have somewhat coarse double or single serrations.
It flowers at the same time as the leaves unfold.
The flowers are borne 2–3 in corymbs arising from the leaf axils; they are white to faintly pink with 5 petals and 2.4–3.2 cm across.
The petals are broadly obovate to broadly elliptic, 12–19 mm long.
There are about 40 stamens, slightly shorter than the style.
The calyx tube is cylindrical, 5–6 mm long; the calyx lobes are ovate-lanceolate to oblong, entire, and open flat at flowering.
The flower stalk is 0.1–1.5 cm long and the pedicel is 0.8–2.5 cm, usually with spreading hairs.
The fruit is broadly ovate, 8–10 mm in diameter, ripening blackish purple, and the flesh is astringent.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed, by cuttings, or by grafting.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained site.
If it grows too large 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, for example.
Also, it is better not to cut branches needlessly if there is no need.
It is prone to many pests and diseases, so care is needed.

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