Prunus serrula

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Prunus serrula
Chalons - petit jard (8).JPG
Growth form
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Prunus
Section: P. sect. Cerasus
Species:
P. serrula
Binomial name
Prunus serrula
Synonyms [1]
  • Cerasus serrula(Franch.) T.T.Yu & C.L.Li
  • Prunus odontocalyxH.L‚v.

Prunus serrula, called birch bark cherry, birchbark cherry, paperbark cherry, or Tibetan cherry, is a species of cherry native to China, and is used as an ornamental in many parts of the world for its striking coppery-red bark.

Contents

Description

A closeup of the bark File 108, Rinde einer Japanischen Kirsche.jpg
A closeup of the bark

Prunus serrula is a small deciduous tree, often with multiple stems, reaching a height of 20–30 feet (6–9 m). The leaves are arranged alternately, simple, 5–10 cm long and 1.5–2.0 cm broad and a serrate margin. [2] The smooth bark is a brownish red, with prominent horizontal lenticels. The outer layer of the bark is remarkably tough, approaching the strength of Mylar. [3]

Flowers

The flowers, typical of Prunus, are produced in clusters of one to three. The fruit is a small oval bright red drupe. [4]

Cultivation

Bark of an older specimen Chesters Walled Garden - trunk of the Tibetan cherry tree - geograph.org.uk - 1461261.jpg
Bark of an older specimen

Prunus serrula is grown as an ornamental tree, especially for winter interest. It tolerates a variety of soil types and has a wide pH range. It prefers full sun and does well in USDA hardiness zones 5 to 8. Its potential as an invasive species is low, as it is susceptible to many common garden diseases and pests such as fire blight, powdery mildew and Japanese beetles.[ citation needed ]

It is sometimes grafted to Prunus serrulata (Japanese cherry) crowns, forming a tree with red bark and showier flowers.

In 2012 the 'Branklyn' variety gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherry</span> Fruit of some plants of the genus Prunus

A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy drupe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherry blossom</span> Blossom of the cherry tree

The cherry blossom, also known as a Japanese cherry or Sakura, is the flower of trees in the genus Prunus or the Prunus subgenus Cerasus. Wild species of the cherry tree are widely distributed, mainly in the Northern Hemisphere. They are common in East Asia, especially in Japan. They generally refer to ornamental cherry trees, not cherry trees grown for their fruit. The cherry blossom is considered the national flower of Japan.

<i>Prunus cerasifera</i> Species of plum

Prunus cerasifera is a species of plum known by the common names cherry plum and myrobalan plum. It is native to Southeast Europe and Western Asia, and is naturalised in the British Isles and scattered locations in North America. Also naturalized in parts of SE Australia where it is considered to be a mildly invasive weed of bushland near urban centers.

<i>Prunus serrulata</i> Species of tree

Prunus serrulata or Japanese cherry is a species of cherry tree that grows naturally in Japan, China, and Korea, and it also refers to a cultivar produced from Prunus speciosa, a cherry tree endemic in Japan. Historically, the Japanese have developed many cultivars by selective breeding of cherry trees, which are produced by the complicated crossing of several wild species, and they are used for ornamental purposes all over the world. Of these, the cultivars produced by complex interspecific hybrids based on the Oshima cherry are also known as the Cerasus Sato-zakura Group.

<i>Stewartia pseudocamellia</i> Species of flowering plant

Stewartia pseudocamellia, also known as Korean stewartia, Japanese stewartia, or deciduous camellia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Theaceae, native to Japan and Korea.

<i>Prunus pensylvanica</i> Species of tree

Prunus pensylvanica, also known as bird cherry, fire cherry, pin cherry, and red cherry, is a North American cherry species in the genus Prunus.

<i>Prunus incisa</i> Species of tree

Prunus incisa, the Fuji cherry, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae, which gets its scientific name from the deep incisions on the leaves. It is an endemic species in Japan and grows wild in Kantō, Chūbu and Kinki regions. It is called the Fuji cherry because it grows in particular abundance around Mount Fuji and Hakone. A dainty slow-growing, early white-flowering cherry tree, this century-old cultigen from Hondo, Japan is highly regarded as an ornamental but the wood has no industrial value. It is hardy to -20 °C, and crossed with Prunus speciosa, has yielded the cultivar Prunus 'Umineko'. It is in the ornamental section Pseudocerasus of the cherry subgenus Cerasus of the genus Prunus. Ma et al. classified it in a group with Prunus nipponica.

<i>Sorbus commixta</i> Species of tree

Sorbus commixta, the Japanese rowan, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae, native to central and eastern China, Korea, Japan, and Sakhalin.

<i>Prunus tomentosa</i> Species of tree

Prunus tomentosa is a species of Prunus native to northern and western China, Korea, Mongolia, and possibly northern India. Common names for Prunus tomentosa include Nanjing cherry, Korean cherry, Manchu cherry, downy cherry, Shanghai cherry, Ando cherry, mountain cherry, Chinese bush cherry, and Chinese dwarf cherry.

<i>Prunus sargentii</i> Species of tree

Prunus sargentii, commonly known as Sargent's cherry or North Japanese hill cherry, is a species of cherry native to Japan, Korea, and Sakhalin (Russia).

<i>Prunus avium</i> Species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae

Prunus avium, commonly called wild cherry, sweet cherry, gean, or bird cherry is a species of cherry, a flowering plant in the rose family, Rosaceae. It is native to Europe, Anatolia, Maghreb, and Western Asia, from the British Isles south to Morocco and Tunisia, north to the Trondheimsfjord region in Norway and east to the Caucasus and northern Iran, with a small isolated population in the western Himalaya. The species is widely cultivated in other regions and has become naturalized in North America and Australia.

<i>Acer palmatum</i> Species of maple

Acer palmatum, commonly known as Japanese maple, palmate maple, or smooth Japanese maple (Korean: danpungnamu, 단풍나무, Japanese: irohamomiji, イロハモミジ, or momiji,, is a species of woody plant native to Korea, Japan, China, eastern Mongolia, and southeast Russia. Many different cultivars of this maple have been selected and they are grown worldwide for their large variety of attractive forms, leaf shapes, and spectacular colors.

<i>Prunus nipponica</i> Shrub originating in Hokkaido and Honshu

Prunus nipponica, also called Japanese alpine cherry, is a shrub which originates from the islands of Hokkaido and Honshu, Japan. It grows to a height of about 5 meters (16 ft) and can grow in sandy, loamy, and clay soils.

Prunus apetala is a species of flowering cherry in the genus Prunus in the family Rosaceae. It is called clove cherry, because of its clovebud-shaped calyx. It is native to Japan, centered on the main island, Honshu.

<i>Prunus davidiana</i> Species of tree

Prunus davidiana is a species in the genus Prunus in the family Rosaceae. It is also known by the common names David's peach and Chinese wild peach. It is native to China, preferring to grow in forests and thickets, on slopes in mountain valleys, and in waste fields, from 800 to 3200 m. It is resistant to frost, and to a number of pests and diseases of cultivated peach, and is the subject of many studies for the genetic improvement of peaches.

<i>Prunus pseudocerasus</i> Species of tree

Prunus pseudocerasus or Prunus pseudo-cerasus, the Chinese sour cherry or just Chinese cherry, is a species of cherry native to China and is used worldwide as an ornamental for its early spring cherry blossoms. The fruits of some cultivars are edible.

Prunus rufa, called Himalayan cherry, is a species of cherry native to Nepal and Burma. It is used as an ornamental elsewhere for its striking shiny brown bark. It has been found growing at 3,925 m (12,900 ft) above sea level in the Himalayas.

<i>Prunus <span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> incam</i> Hybrid species of tree

Prunus × incam, sometimes called the Okamé cherry, although that name rightly belongs to its Okamé cultivar, is a hybrid species of flowering cherry, the result of a cross between Prunus incisa and Prunus campanulata. It is a small tree, reaching 8 m, with silver bark and showy pink flowers. Its leaves are obovate or oblanceolate, 47 to 70 mm long and 22 to 31 mm wide. Its fall foliage is an attractive bronze-orangish-red. Due to its hybrid nature, fruit are rarely produced even though it produces large amounts of pollen, and so it is propagated and sold commercially by cuttings.

Prunus himalaica is a species of cherry native to Nepal. It is used as an ornamental elsewhere for its attractive shiny mahogany-brown bark. It prefers to grow at about 3,900 m above sea level in the Himalayas.

References

  1. The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species , retrieved 7 June 2018
  2. "Prunus serrula". Landscape Plants. Oregon State University. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  3. Xu, Xiaoming; Schneider, Edward; Chien, Allen T.; Wudl, Fred (16 September 1997). "Nature's High-Strength Semitransparent Film: The Remarkable Mechanical Properties of Prunus serrula Bark". Chemistry of Materials. 9 (9): 1906–1908. doi:10.1021/cm9701522.
  4. "Prunus serrula | Tibetan cherry/RHS Gardening".
  5. "Prunus serrula 'Branklyn'". Royal Horticultural Society. 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2018.