Cherry trees belong to the genus Prunus. Sweet cherry cultivars of those wild cherry (Prunus avium) are grown for their fruit. The Japanese have developed many decorative trees because of their blossoms. Many fruiting types of cherry trees have blossoms while cultivars that are decorative have blossoms or white blossoms tinged with pink. Select cultivars of cherry trees could be increased in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9.
Japanese Decorative Cherry Trees
The Japanese have developed over 100 types of cherry trees, the majority of them cultivars that were cosmetic. The blossoms of Japanese cosmetic cultivars are white tinged with centers or with pink and are as large as carnations. Wild species in Japan have five petals in their blossoms. Those with 10 are known as yaezakura. The”Shogetsu” (Prunus surrulata”Shogetsu”) is a yaezakura cherry tree that yields large white blossoms with 20 to 30 petals. The Yoshino (Prunus x yeodensis) yields white blossoms with a single ring of petals. The”Kwanzan” (P. surrulata”Kwanzan”) bears flowers with a number of rings of petals that could be coloured white to pink. Fuji cherry (P. incisa) grows up to 30 feet high, producing clusters of two to four three-quarter-inch into 1-inch wide white blossoms on hairy stalks.
Native Cherry Trees
The small white flowers of native trees have five petals and dangle in clusters. The chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) increases up to 15 feet tall with half-inch-wide white blossoms. The black cherry (P. serotina) grows from 30 to 60 feet tall, contains peeling dark gray to black bark with a bitter aroma. It grows spikes of 10 or white blossoms that are one-half to three-quarter inches wide. The spreading pin cherry (P. pensylvanica) grows from 5 to 15 feet high and yields clusters up to 10 white blossoms that are three-quarter inches across on stalks one-half inch wide or slightly larger.
Fruiting Cherry Trees
The cultivars of trees increased for both sweet and sour cherries yield white blossoms. Sweet cherry trees, cultivars of those wild cherry (Prunus avium), grow white blossoms from 1 to 2 1 1/2 inches across. Sweet cherry cultivars include the familiar”Bing,””Rainier,””Royal Anne” and”Lambert.” Sour cherry cultivars (P. cerasus) grow clusters of two to six white blossoms that are three-quarters into 1 inch across. “Montmorency” and”North Star” are the most often grown sour cherry cultivars.
Tibetan and Manchurian Cherry Trees
The Tibetan cherry (Prunus serrula) and the Manchurian Cherry (P. maackii) have attractive, peeling bark in winter and grow white blossoms. They become about 30 feet high. The Tibetan cherry grows blossoms that hang on hairless stalks and includes profound mahogany bark. The Manchurian cherry displays its white blossoms and bark hang 2- to 3-inch-long stalks. “Amber Beauty” (P. maackii”Amber Beauty”) includes amber-colored bark.