Cerasus sargentii var. sargentii f. albida ("Hatsuyukizakura")

Japanese name: ハツユキザクラ （初雪桜）
Scientific name: Cerasus sargentii var. sargentii f. albida

[Overview]
A deciduous tree 20–25 m tall.
A variant of Oyama-zakura with white flowers.
The bark is dark purplish brown, with conspicuous horizontally elongated lenticels.
Young leaves are tinged with reddish brown.
The leaves are alternate, ovate to obovate-elliptic, 8–15 cm long and 4–8 cm wide, with sharp serrations on the margin ending in glands, some of the serrations being double.
The undersides of the leaves are tinged with powdery white.
The petiole is 1.5–2.5 cm long, hairless, and has nectar glands in its upper part.
It flowers before the leaves unfold or at the same time.
The flowers are borne 1–3 per umbel emerging from the leaf axils, and are white with 5 petals, 3–3.7 cm across.
The calyx tube is tubular, and the calyx lobes are entire.
The fruit is spherical, about 1 cm across, and ripens to blackish purple.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed, by cuttings, or by grafting.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained site.
If a large tree would be a problem in a garden planting, it is good to limit the space for root growth with a fabric pot in order 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 the branches needlessly if it is not necessary.
It is prone to many pests and diseases, so care is needed.

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