Cerasus ×yuyamae nothovar. yuyamae ("Fujikasumizakura")

Japanese name: フジカスミザクラ （富士霞桜）
Scientific name: Cerasus ×yuyamae nothovar. yuyamae

[Overview]
A small deciduous tree presumed to be a hybrid of Mame-zakura and Kasumi-zakura.
It is found in areas where Mame-zakura and Kasumi-zakura grow together.
First-year branches are densely covered with brown hairs.
The young shoots are brownish yellow-green.
The leaves are obovate to oblong-oblanceolate, 2.3–7 cm long and 1.5–3.5 cm wide, with pointed tips.
The leaf margins have blunt, somewhat incised serrations.
The upper surface has sparse hairs, and the underside is hairless or hairy only on the veins.
Nectar glands are on the upper part of the petiole or at the base of the leaf blade.
The flowers open at the same time as the leaves unfold.
Two to three flowers are borne in umbels from the leaf axils; they are white, 5-petaled, and 1.4–1.8 cm across.
The petals are ovate-round to broadly elliptic, 0.9–1.2 cm long.
There are about 45 stamens, and the style is hairless.
The calyx tube is cylindrical to bell-shaped, 5 mm long and tinged with reddish purple; the calyx lobes are ovate to oblong with entire margins.
The flower stalk is 5–8 mm long and the pedicels are 1.5–2 cm long, sometimes hairy.
The fruit ripens black and is sweet.
It can be distinguished by the fact that Mame-zakura flowers before the leaves emerge and the fruit of Kasumi-zakura is bitter.

[History]
It was discovered in Gotemba, Shizuoka, by Yuyama Gosaku.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings or grafting.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained site.
If it grows into a large tree and becomes a problem in a garden, it is good to restrict the space for root growth 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 unless necessary.
Pests and diseases are numerous, so care is needed.

[Notes]
The specific and varietal epithets yuyamae were dedicated to its discoverer, Yuyama Gosaku.

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