Photo: Bruce Marlin — CC BY 3.0 · source
Survives zone 4 through 7
Harvest calendar
Best planted in early spring after your last frost, or in fall before the ground freezes, depending on your climate.
The small (about 5 mm) cherries are edible but thin-fleshed and grown mainly for ornament rather than fresh eating; in parts of Korea and Japan the salted flowers are occasionally used as a fragrant garnish. ⚠ Kernels/pits cyanogenic.
- Hardiness
- Zone 4–7
- Habit
- Tree
- Edible part
- Fruit
- Ripens
- Summer–autumn
- Mature size
- Tree 7–15 m
- Light
- Full sun to partial
- Soil pH
- 6.0–7.0 (near-neutral)
- Environment
- Temperate
- Native range
- Northeastern China, the Russian Far East, the Korean peninsula, and Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu)
- Status
- Wild
- Years to fruit
- 2–4 yrs
- Growth speed
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 450 cm (177 in) apart — about 20 m² (218 sq ft) per plant
- Leaf shape
- Ovate to obovate or elliptic, 4–8 cm long, with sharp double-serrated margins and downy hairs along the veins and midrib beneath.
- Root system
- Worth knowing that in cultivation this is usually the rootstock's root system, not the species' — most Prunus are sold grafted, and vigour, suckering and soil tolerance follow the stock rather than the top. On its own roots the species is shallow-rooted, with the bulk in the top 40–60 cm spreading well beyond the canopy, so it dislikes cultivation underneath and competes badly with grass.
- Fruit description
- Small, roughly pea-sized (about 5 mm) cherries, each carrying one large stone relative to the fruit's size, ripening in August.
- Propagation
- Seed requires 2–3 months of cold stratification and is best sown as soon as ripe, though germination can take up to 18 months; also by half-ripe heel cuttings in July-August, softwood cuttings in spring/early summer, or spring layering.
- Pollination
- Hermaphrodite, insect-pollinated flowers — self-fertility isn't specifically documented for this species
The edible parts listed above are a starting point, not a field guide. Identify a plant with certainty — ideally against a local authority — before eating any part of it, and read the full disclaimer. Spotted something wrong? Report it.
Growing guide
Fertilizing. Prefers well-drained, moisture-retentive loam with some lime — it becomes chlorotic if over-limed — and grows best in full sun to light shade.
Growing tips. Hardy to USDA zones 4–8; the fine-grained, heavy wood has traditionally been used for furniture and carving.
Grow journal
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