''Prunus apetala'' is a species of flowering cherry in the genus ''

Prunus ''Prunus'' is a genus of trees and shrubs, which includes (among many others) the fruits plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, and almonds. Native to the North American temperate regions, the neotropics of South America, and the p ...

'' in the family

Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a medium-sized family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus ''Rosa''. Among the most species-rich genera are ''Alchemilla'' (270), ''Sorbus ...

. It is called clove cherry ( ja, チョウジザクラ ) because of its clovebud-shaped calyx. It is native to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, centered on the main island,

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separ ...

.Chittenden, Fred J., Synge, Patrick M., editors. 1977. “The Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening”, edn. 2, Oxford University Press. . Volume 3, pp. 1695

Description

Shrub or small tree. *Height: To 5.5 m (18 ft). *Leaves: Obovate leaves reach 5–10 cm (2–4 in) in length. Leaf tips are slender; leaf margins double-toothed. Petioles (leaf stalks) and upper leaf surfaces are hairy. *Inflorescences: Flowers in May. **Petals: Range in color from white to pink; small, 'soon falling'. **Calyx: Purple. **Stamens: Purple. **Pedicels: 1.25-1.9 cm (.5-.75in) in length. *Fruit: Black in color, roundish-oval in shape. **Peduncle: Peduncle (fruit stalk) ranges in length from 2.5-3.8 cm (1-1.5 in).

Etymology

''Prunus'' is the ancient Latin name for plum trees. The specific epithet ''apetala'' is derived from Greek, meaning 'without

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s', due to their habit of dropping off the flowers soon after they are formed.Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. (hardback), (paperback). pp 52, 316

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from1=Q10860854, from2=Q15534707, from3=Q17235108, from4=Q15536068 apetala Ornamental trees Endemic flora of Japan