Prunus grayana
Template:Short description Template:Speciesbox
Prunus grayana (syn. Padus grayana (Maxim.) C.K.Schneid., Prunus padus var. japonica Miq.; Japanese bird cherry or Gray's bird cherry; Japanese Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang".; Chinese Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang".) is a species of bird cherry native to Japan and China, occurring at medium altitudes of 1,000–3,800 m in the temperate zone. It prefers sunshine and moist (but drained) soil.[1][2][3]
It is a small deciduous tree reaching a height of 8–20 m. The trunk is slender with smooth grey to purple-grey bark marked with horizontal brown lenticels, with a strong smell when cut. The leaves are elliptical to ovoid, 4–10 cm long and 1.8–4.5 cm broad, with a serrated margin with aristate tips to the serrations. The lowest teeth of a leaf feature two glands. The flowers are produced on 5–8 cm long racemes, each flower 7–10 mm diameter, with five white petals; they are hermaphroditic, and appear in mid-spring after the leaves. The fruit is a small drupe, about 8 mm in diameter, green at first, then red and finally ripening black in mid summer.[1][2][4][5][6]
It is very closely related to Prunus padus (Bird cherry), differing in the aristate tips to the leaf serration (blunt-pointed in P. padus), and the longer style in the flower.[5][7]
Uses
The flowers, fruit and seed are all edible and are prepared and eaten in Japan. The fruit can be preserved with salt to make a dish called Anningo. The bark and roots are the source of a green dye. The wood is very hard and splits easily. It is used in various cabinet-making and various other ornamental applications.[2][8]
Classification
The taxon was described in 1864 by Miquel as Prunus padus var. japonica, on the basis of specimens collected by Siebold.[9] After a review of the previous literature, Maximowicz in St. Petersburg decided in 1883[10] the tree was a distinct species, and named it Prunus grayana after Asa Gray.
References
- ↑ a b Flora of China: Padus grayana
- ↑ a b c Japanese Tree Encyclopedia: Uwamizuzakura Prunus grayana Template:Webarchive
- ↑ Template:GRIN
- ↑ Botanic Japan: Prunus grayana (in Japanese; google translation.
- ↑ a b Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan Template:ISBN.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Flora of China: Padus
- ↑ Plants for a Future: Prunus grayana
- ↑ Ohba, H., Akiyama, S., & Thijsse, G. (2003). Miquel's new taxa of the vascular plants described from Japan in Prolusio Florae Japonicae and some other works. Page 3
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1". For the details of the publication including the dates of the volumes and the reprint of the article in Mélange ... see Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".