Sakura is a plum or cherry, and when the Japanese harvest

сакура цвіте Interesting facts

The whole world admires photos of Japan and China when Sakura blossoms in these countries, and no oriental garden or park can be imagined without this plant. Tourists specially plan a trip to these countries in the spring to see such a miracle, and professional photographers are looking forward to the awakening of nature to take their best shots. When you look at all this blooming splendor, the imagination paints a picture of a summer abundance of fruits, under the weight of which the branches of the sakura bend. But what kind of plant is it, a cherry or perhaps a plum? And why do we never hear about harvesting, because the fruits must ripen on such a huge number of flowering trees?

sakura in bloom
In fact, sakura is not a single plant, but a group of early flowering shrubs and low trees from the Plum family. For example, in Tokyo’s Shinjuku-Gein Park, there is a collection of 75 different types of sakura. These bushes bloom in early spring, before the leaves begin to bloom, so a blooming sakura resembles a magic cloud. Since sakura is a different kind of plant, it has flowers of different colors – from pure white to bright pink. But most often, sakura refers to representatives of the cherry subgenus, especially the popular small-fruited cherry. In the wild, this unpretentious plant is found on the Japanese archipelago, as well as on the mainland – in China and on the Korean Peninsula. Without pruning and under favorable conditions, this cherry tree grows to the size of a full-fledged tree, more than 20 meters high. But those specimens that are used for decorative purposes are, of course, subject to regular pruning and crown formation.

sakura in Japan
But while today this shrub is widely cultivated and can be found in any Chinese or Japanese garden, in ancient times the Japanese admired wild species that were abundant on the islands. In Japan, there is even a separate word for the tradition of contemplating cherry blossoms – hanami, which has been known since the eighth century. Despite its venerable age, this tradition has no intention of disappearing – millions of Japanese across the country go to parks and city streets to see this natural wonder. Moreover, in order for every citizen of the country to be able to plan in advance to admire sakura, Japan publishes a forecast of flowering dates in different prefectures, which is compiled by meteorological services. But the most surprising thing is that next to the main meteorological posts in Japan, there is always a sakura tree, which climatologists use to make forecast maps of flowering.

sakura in Japan
But most sakura species, including the widespread small-shelled cherry, have small inedible fruits, most of which are pitted. For this reason, sakura fruits are mainly eaten by birds, and people only admire the magnificent flowering.

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Цвітіння сакури 2019
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