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Higan Cherry

Prunus itosakura

Also called Autumn Cherry, Rosebud Cherry, Spring Cherry, Winter Flowering Cherry

Higan Cherry (Prunus itosakura) is a small, often weeping flowering cherry tree native to Korea and Japan, grown mainly for its early pink blossoms. It is best given full sun and well-drained soil, and it is hardy in temperate climates.

Family: Rosaceae (Rose family)
Grows as: Tree
Light: Full sun
Water: Water regularly when young and during dry spells, allowing the top of the soil to dry between waterings.
Soil: Well-drained loam or garden soil, tolerant of a range of pH.
Temperature: Hardy in temperate climates; tolerates cold winters well.
How easy: Easy
Safety: Toxic: Seeds, leaves, bark and twigs contain cyanogenic glycosides that can release cyanide when damaged or eaten.. Toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA).
Edible: Yes, some parts
Native range: Korea, C. & S. Japan
Climate: temperate

About

Prunus itosakura is a wild species of cherry trees native to Japan, and is also the name given to the cultivars derived from this species. Itosakura (Itozakura, 糸桜) means thread cherry, and appeared in historical documents from the Heian period in Japan. The scientific name for the hybrid between this species and Prunus incisa is Prunus × subhirtella. Historically, the Japanese have produced many cultivars from this wild species, and they are also called weeping cherry, autumn cherry, ariana cherry, or winter-flowering cherry, because of the characteristics of each cultivar.

Since 2018, the United States Department of Agriculture has classified the species as Prunus itosakura not Prunus subhirtella. The name itosakura originally refers to the weeping cherry, a cultivar derived from Edo higan.

Other Prunus plants

Prunus adenopoda · Red stinkwood · Prunus aitchisonii · Alabama cherry · Prunus alaica · Allegheny plum · American plum · Prunus amplifolia · Almond · Desert peach · Chickasaw plum · Prunus annularis

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Prunus itosakura by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.

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