1435 
"As it came under my observation in Japan, this cherry- 
is quick-growing and obviously short-lived. It makes 
a tree from 6 to 10 meters (19f to 32f ft.) tall with 
a trunk from 1 to 2 meters (3^ to 6| ft.) in girth, 
and has thick, spreading and ascending-spreading branch- 
es. The bark is pale gray and smooth even on quite old 
trees. The shoots are stout, usually with prominent 
lenticels, grayish at first and often passing to dull 
reddish purple before becoming finally pale gray. The 
leaves are glabrous and green, but as they open often 
have a more or less brownish, metallic lustre; they 
are ovate or rarely obovate , abruptly caudate-acuminate , 
double-serrate, and the teeth are long-artistate . The 
flowers are fragrant, everywhere glabrous, white (pink- 
ish in the bud) and may appear before or with the leaves; 
the peduncle is sometimes almost wanting; usually it 
is from 2 to 4 centimeters (f to 1| in.) long, but 
occasionally it is 6 centimeters (2f in.) and even 
more in length. The scaly involucral bracts are slightly 
viscid, the bracts subtending the pedicels are green, 
obovate, glandular-ciliate and very prominent. The 
fruit is ovoid , black , and lustrous. In this cherry the 
peduncle -is extremely variable in length, often on 
the same individual tree, but this character has no 
taxonomlc value in this or any other Japanese species. 
Varieties and forms have been based on this character, 
which is not only inconstant, but may vary from year 
to year. Koidzuml has distinguished the wild plant 
under the name of speeiosa, but I can not discover any 
differences between a series of specimens from wild 
trees and another from cultivated trees. Koehne says 
this plant is under cultivation in Europe under the 
name of P. serrulata yoshino. In Japan the vernacular name 
Yoshino is applied to P. yedoensis, and not to any form of 
P. lannesiana. Koidzuml gives the vernacular name of Oh- 
yama-sakura to the wild plant. The cultivated plant and 
its forms are known as Oshima-zakura or as Sakura. " (Wilson, 
The Cherries of Japan, p. 45, under P. lannesiana, f. albida.) 
Ranzan. (47140). "Flowers single, pink, on long, 
slender pedicels. This is a very pleasing form." (Wilson, 
The Cherries of Japan, p. 52 , under P. lannesiana, f. ranzan.) 
Shirayuki. (47141). A moderately large tree wi th numer- 
ous, closely crowded , erect-spreading branches , smooth, 
brown-gray twigs, yellowish brown young leaves and 
white flowers with hairy peduncles. Blossoming time 
mid-April. (Adapted from Miyoshi, Japanische Berg- 
kirschen, p. 127, under P. serrulata, f. nivea.) "With its 
large flowers this distinct form resembles P. yedoensis, 
