''Prunus nipponica'', also called , is a shrub which originates from the islands of

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

and

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 ...

, Japan. It grows to a height of about and can grow in sandy,

loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–sil ...

y, and clay soils. This species is one of the hardiest of cherry trees, well-suited to cold climates. The flowers are a very light pink or even white in color. Flowers bloom in the first half of spring. They have 5 petals and are in diameter. The

pistil Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

s are usually longer than the stamen. The leaves are

serrated Serration is a saw-like appearance or a row of sharp or tooth-like projections. A serrated cutting edge has many small points of contact with the material being cut. By having less contact area than a smooth blade or other edge, the applied pr ...

and the bark is gray. In autumn the leaves turn yellow and orange-red; these are rare autumnal colors for a cherry tree. ''P. nipponica'' wood contains significant amounts of these

flavonoid Flavonoids (or bioflavonoids; from the Latin word ''flavus'', meaning yellow, their color in nature) are a class of polyphenolic secondary metabolites found in plants, and thus commonly consumed in the diets of humans. Chemically, flavonoids ...

s: ''d''-catechin,

naringenin Naringenin is a flavorless, colorless flavanone, a type of flavonoid. It is the predominant flavanone in grapefruit, and is found in a variety of fruits and herbs. Structure Naringenin has the skeleton structure of a flavanone with three hyd ...

sakuranetin Sakuranetin is a flavan-on, the 7-methoxy derivative of naringenin, found in Polymnia fruticosa and rice, where it acts as a phytoalexin against spore germination of ''Pyricularia oryzae''. Glycosides Sakuranin is the 5-O-glucoside of sakuranet ...

eriodictyol Eriodictyol is a bitter-masking flavanone, a flavonoid extracted from yerba santa (''Eriodictyon californicum''), a plant native to North America. Eriodictyol is one of the four flavanones identified in this plant as having taste-modifying proper ...

taxifolin Taxifolin (5,7,3',4'-flavan-on-ol), also known as dihydroquercetin, belongs to the subclass flavanonols in the flavonoids, which in turn is a class of polyphenols. Stereocenters Taxifolin has two stereocenters on the C-ring, as opposed to querc ...

genistein Genistein (C15H10O5) is a naturally occurring compound that structurally belongs to a class of compounds known as isoflavones. It is described as an angiogenesis inhibitor and a phytoestrogen. It was first isolated in 1899 from the dyer's bro ...

, and

prunetin Prunetin is an O-methylated isoflavone, a type of flavonoid. It has been isolated for the first time by Finnemore in 1910 in the bark of ''Prunus emarginata'' (the Oregon cherry). Prunetin isolated from pea roots can act as an attractant for ''Aph ...

. Being a member of the genus ''Prunus'', ''P. nipponica'' would contain

amygdalin Amygdalin (from Ancient Greek: ' "almond") is a naturally occurring chemical compound found in many plants, most notably in the seeds (kernels) of apricots, bitter almonds, apples, peaches, cherries, and plums. Amygdalin is classified as a cy ...

and

prunasin (''R'')-prunasin is a cyanogenic glycoside related to amygdalin. Chemically, it is the glucoside of (''R'')-mandelonitrile. Natural occurrences Prunasin is found in species in the genus ''Prunus'' such as ''Prunus japonica'' or '' P. maximowicz ...

which form

hydrocyanic acid Hydrogen cyanide, sometimes called prussic acid, is a chemical compound with the formula HCN and structure . It is a colorless, extremely poisonous, and flammable liquid that boils slightly above room temperature, at . HCN is produced on an ind ...

when combined with water. This acid is poisonous but in very small doses it can improve respiration, digestion, and a sense of well-being. The fruit can be used as food and to make green dye. This species was first reported by Japanese botanist

Jinzō Matsumura was a Japanese botanist. Biography Matsumura was born in Ibaraki Prefecture, of a samurai family. He took a great interest in botany as a young man. In 1883, he had been made assistant professor of botany in the University of Tokyo under Ryō ...

in the Tokyo Botanical Magazine in 1901. It is in the section ''Pseudocerasus'' of the cherry subgenus ''Cerasus'' of the genus ''Prunus'', which are ornamental plants. Ma et al classified it in a group with ''

Prunus incisa ''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 regio ...

''. ''P. nipponica'' is on the "List of Protected Animals and Plants in the Wildlife Protection Zone" of the wilderness

Shirakami-Sanchi 270px, Shirakami Mountains Relief Map (with UNESCO World Heritage Site) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Tōhoku region of northern Honshū, Japan. This mountainous area includes the last virgin forest of Siebold's beech which once cover ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

Varieties

Varieties include ''P. nipponica'' var. nipponica'', ''P. nipponica'' var. kurilensis, and ''P. nipponica'' var. Chishima-zakura.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q4993133 nipponica Plants described in 1901