BULLETIN NO. 20. 
The most interesting event, perhaps, in the Arboretum this week is 
the flowering of several Japanese Cherries, which may be seen on the 
left hand side of Forest Hill Road from its junction with the Meadow 
Road to the Forest Hill gate. The first of the Japanese Cherries to 
flower is Prunus Sargentii. This is a tall tree in the native forests of the 
Northern Island where it is valued as a timber tree. There are six spec- 
imens of different sizes on the Forest Hill Road, and they are now cov- 
ered with clusters of large pink or rose-colored single flowers, for the 
color of the flowers of this tree vary considerably on different individuals. 
The small black fruits which ripen in June are almost hidden by the large 
dark green leaves which in the autumn turn to shades of orange and 
red; the smooth, shining, reddish bark adds to the beauty of this tree. 
Travellers who have seen Cherry blossoms in many lands declare that 
Prunus Sargentii as it now appears in the Arboretum surpasses in beauty 
all other Cherry-trees. Whether this is an exaggeration or not it is cer- 
tainly a tree of first rate importance for New England; and its hardiness, 
rapid growth, large size, the abundance of its flowers even on small 
plants, and its handsome foliage make it the most valuable deciduous 
leaved tree we have yet obtained from Japan. The trees in the Arbore- 
tum produce large crops of seeds and these germinate readily so that 
there is no reason why Prunus Sargentii should not become a common 
tree if nurserymen will recognize its value and make a business of mak- 
ing it known to the public. 
The better known Prunus pendula flowers a few days later. This tree 
is remarkable for its long, slender, pendulous branches which before the 
leaves expand are covered with small pink flowers. P. pendula, which 
does not appear to be common in a wild state in Japan, is often planted 
in Japanese gardens in which it sometimes grows to a large size. It was 
brought to the United States many years ago, and specimens from twenty 
to thirty feet high can be seen in the neighborhood of Boston. By nur- 
serymen it has usually been propagated by grafting on tall stems of the 
common Cherry, with the result that the trees look unnatural and are 
rarely long-lived. Plants produced by grafting at the ground level grow 
to a larger size, live longer, and when in flower look like fountains of 
pink mist. It has been shown at the Arboretum that the drooping habit 
of the branches is reproduced in seedlings, and as this Cherry bears 
seeds freely, seedling plants will, it is to be hoped, become more common. 
A plant with even more beautiful and more abundant flowers than 
Prunus pendula is Prunus subhirtella, or as it is now labelled in the 
Arboretum, P. pendula ascendens, a small tree, or as it has grown here 
a large shrub, from central Japan, and now known through Wilson’s col- 
lections to occur also in western China. It is perfectly hardy and flowers 
freely every year. Introduced into the Arboretum twenty years ago, 
and from here sent to Europe, it is surprising that this handsome plant 
has remained so little known in gardens. 
Prunus triloba can be seen in flower near P. tomentosa just below the 
entrance to the Shrub Collection at the Forest Hill gate. It is a shrub 
with bright clear pink flowers which are about an inch in diameter and 
appear before the leaves. The double flowered form of this shrub (var. 
multiplex) is a favorite garden plant in China whence forty or fifty years 
ago it was introduced into Europe and the United States where it is often 
