Prunus x yedoensis, commonly known as Yoshino Cherry or Tokyo Cherry, is a fast growing and graceful cherry tree prized for its white spring flowers. It is a hybrid that first appeared in Tokyo in the 1870s and was introduced to America 30 years later. Yoshino Cherry now famously populates the Washington D.C. Tidal Basin.
Yoshino Cherry is thought to be a hybrid of Oshima Cherry and Spring Cherry. Its flowers bear a light almond scent and appear in early spring before or simultaneously with foliage. Flowers are white with pink tinges, with purple stamens at the center.
The small black cherries that follow these short-lived flowers are too bitter for humans but do attract birds. Yoshino Cherry acquires further color in autumn when its leaves turn yellow.
Yoshino Cherry usually lives only 10 to 20 years, but it is very fast growing, attaining half its eventual height in only three to four years. It flowers best in full sun, and likes well drained, moist, rich soil. Yoshino Cherry has a spreading habit, and a broad and rounded crown.
Yoshino Cherry is often displayed at U.S. botanical gardens. It has also become a traditional part of U.S.-Japanese relations, usually involving the First Lady. Japan gave the U.S. over 3,000 cherry trees in 1912, nearly 2,000 of which were Yoshino Cherry. In 1981, Nancy Reagan gave the Japanese ambassador a clone of one of these original Yoshinos.
Its beauty is short-lived, but Yoshino Cherry makes a striking ornamental tree. It is often found alongside lawns, streets, decks, and patios.