Japanese Flowering Cherry

Arbor Walk #25, Treekeeper ID #4120

The Kwanzan variety is probably the hardiest of the double flowering cherry trees. Its new leaves are bronze colored and its fall color is a bronzy-orange. It blooms pink in mid spring and is the last of the cherry trees to bloom.

One of the most beautiful of the flowering Cherry trees, the Kwanzan variety of the Japanese Flowering Cherry is traditionally planted in gardens or as an alleé along a sidewalk. Popular for its ornamental purposes, this tree is able to grow in varying sunlight conditions as well as warmer winter regions. While stunning in its appearance, its beauty is fleeting as this tree only has a lifespan of 15-25 years.

Common NameJapanese Flowering Cherry
Latin NamePrunus serrulata
Indigenous Name(s) 
Cultivar/Variety ‘Kwanzan’
Commercial Name 
Global Distribution

Coming soon

Where to find Arbor Walk #25 on WashU campus
Our Japanese Flowering Cherry in space
GPS Coordinates

N/A

Percent Concrete

N/A

Distance to Buildings
YearClose Building #1Close Building #2Close Building #3
2020Umrath Hall, 30.78 mDanforth University Center, 51.01 mGraham Chapel, 51.13 m
Distance to Other Species
YearClose Species #1Close Species # 2Close Species # 3
2020Japanese Flowering Cherry Tree, 3.12 mJapanese Flowering Cherry Tree, 3.54 mSiberian Elm, 10.34 m
Our Japanese Flowering Cherry through time
Standard Measurements
YearHeight (m)DBH (cm)Caliper (m)Crown Diameter N-S (m)Crown Diameter E-W (m)Average Crown Diameter (m)
20208.418615.7N/A6.437.126.775
20238.0417.9/30N/A7.557.447.495
202411.4*N/A7.387.387.38
Nests and Pests
YearDescription
2020Holes from large boring beetles
2 varieties of prolific fungus, on branches and cut wounds
Webbing and feces/bodyparts of insects in a deep center hole of an old pruning wound
Small hole with fungus inside
Large gash at the base of the trunk with an erupted cavity beside it
Light grey lichen
Green algae on trunk
‘Gnarled’/warped areas of wood that may be diseased; some odd eruptions indicate potential fungus
How to identify a Japanese Flowering Cherry
Leaf Identification

The leaves of the Japanese Flowering Cherry are 2″ to 5″ long and ovately shaped with serrated margins. The new leaves are bronze, turn dark green in the summer, and turn bronzy-orange in the fall.

Twig and Bud Identification

The twig ranges from green to orange-red to light brown depending on the stage of maturity. Leaf scars are near-circular and very prominent on the twig, giving it a knotted appearance on the older wood. The buds are many-scaled and dark red. There are multiple terminal buds at each twig tip.

Bark Identification

The Japanese Flowering Cherry has gray, exfoliating bark with horizontal ridges.

Fruit Identification

The ‘Kwanzan’ Cherry trees are sterile and do not produce fruit.

Flower Identification

The flowers of the Japanese Flowering Cherry are a deep pink, with multiple layers of delicate petals like a rose. They bloom in mid-spring.

[photo forthcoming]

‘Kwanzan’ Identification

As mentioned before, ‘Kwanzan’ cherries are sterile cultivars. They are also a much richer pink color than their parent trees.

Relationship of Prunus serrulata to other species in the arboretum
Additional resources on the Japanese Flowering Cherry

Take a look around Arbor Walk Tree #25