Cerasus speciosa f. semiplena ("Usugasaneoshima")

Japanese name: ウスガサネオオシマ （薄重大島）
Scientific name: Cerasus speciosa f. semiplena

[Overview]
A deciduous tree up to 15 m tall.
The bark is purple-black to gray-purple, with conspicuous long, horizontal brown lenticels.
The branches spread horizontally, giving an umbrella-shaped crown.
First-year branches are hairless.
Young leaves are tinged with brown.
The leaves are obovate to obovate-elliptic, with a tail-like pointed tip and a rounded base.
Both surfaces of the leaves are glossy and hairless.
The petiole is hairless and has 2 nectar glands on its upper part.
The leaf margin has serrations whose tips extend into long awns.
The flowers open at the same time as the leaves unfold.
The flowers are borne 3–4 to a corymb arising from the leaf axils, and are white and semi-double, with 6–10 petals.
The flowers are fragrant.
The petals are broadly elliptic.

[History]
It was discovered on the Manazuru Peninsula in Kanagawa by Makino Tomitaro.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from cuttings or grafting.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained site.
If it grows into a large tree in a garden and becomes a problem, restrict 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, for example.
Also, it is better not to cut the branches needlessly.
Pests and diseases are numerous, so care is needed.

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