Do Cherry Blossom Trees Grow Cherries? How Did They Get Their Name

Flowers are some of the most gorgeous aspects of nature.

These flowers represent the simplicity of nature.

One of the most widely known of these flowers is the Japanese cherry blossom, and here are some fun facts about these flowers!

Significance Of Cherry Blossoms In Japanese Culture

The significance of cherry blossoms to Japanese people is beyond the fact that it is part of their tradition. They grow cherries that can be eaten but are not popularly consumed.

The cherry tree itself is globally known due to its beauty, its flowers being delicate as well as radiant. Their importance to the Japanese goes much further than the fact that it is simply delightful to look at. The flower has incredibly strong links to the history of the nation.

One of the most important facets of Japanese cherry trees is how the cherry tree has been seen in the harvest. The cherry tree was used to divine every year's harvest. The cherry tree grew to embody ideals of Shinto of impermanence, renewal, and hope. This drove the cherry tree to become one of the most crucial symbols of the country. In fact, the Japanese cherry blossom was declared the national flower of Japan by the Japanese government.

The flowering cherries are in full bloom for a full week. These flowering cherries are seen across different mainlands of Japan between March and May. These flowering cherries hold their bloom for a short period of time. The final stage of the bloom of these flowers is when they are popularly captured by cameras, and their petals are in bright hues of white and pink. Pink is especially important for a flowering cherry. It marks the end of the cold chills of winter, the beginning of warmer months, and heralds the arrival of spring. With the arrival of spring, people in Japan are known to hold picnics where they can see flower buds blossom.

Another bit of importance is that cherry blossom flowers relate to samurais. These were the famous warriors of Japan. Samurais were a group of elite warriors, loyal to their emperor. Fallen cherry blossom petals show the noble souls of these samurais. This link to their noble character was a depiction of their undying courage, their willingness to fall on their sword for their leader, and the way the samurai would not fear death.

Most Popular Flowering Cherry Tree Varieties

Sakura is an umbrella term that is used to encapsulate different cherry trees that are seen all across the country.

Cherry trees are cultivated all around Japan, and none more than the Yoshino cherry tree. The Yoshino cherry trees are all around Japan and have flowers with five petals in a shade of pink so pale that it seems to be white. The period of blossoming for these flowers takes place from late March all the way through April.

One of the most commonly seen cherry tree varieties, that are seen across the country, is the Yamazakura. This is a very commonly seen wild sakura flower in the wilderness of Japan. This variety of cherry trees is also known as hill cherry due to it being spotted often in the mountains of Japan. These flowers appear in light pink with petals of five.

Another form of the cherry tree variety is the weeping cherry. The weeping cherry is known as Shidarezakura. The weeping cherry is one of the oldest of the cherry tree varieties and is part of the five great cherry trees in all of Japan. The most famous of this variety of cherry trees is located in the region of Fukushima.

History Of The Japanese Cherry Tree

The history of the Japanese cherry blossom trees is one of the most vivid in the world.

The history of the Japanese cherry blossoms goes back many centuries. There have been viewing parties for Japanese cherry trees that have been evident in the heritage of the country. It became a custom for people to organize parties to view these cherry blossom trees. This was known as the hanami, meaning flower viewing. The hanami would be a form of a picnic, which included a bento box that contained rice balls as well as fried chicken. This picnic could also have oden. Oden is a hotpot which had white radish, fish cake, fried tofu, and eggs. These would be cooked on a camping stove. The viewing party for Japanese cherry trees would also take place with cups of sake.

This custom is of great importance to Japanese people and begins in the Nara period. The first of these picnics began with the flower viewings of plum-blossom trees. Plum-blossom trees were only the beginning of how the Japanese appreciated flowering beauty and would move on to how the flowering cherry tree began being appreciated in the country. In fact, these flowering trees were celebrated with poems being written, known as waka.

One of the most famous poems that celebrate these flowering trees is one by Ariwara no Narihira. Narihira would use a poem to create a much different image of how a flowering cherry blossom tree was seen. Instead of the usual idea that flowering cherry trees are seen as a sign of peace, these flowering cherry trees were seen as ones that would instead be disruptive of tranquility. It relates to how we appreciate the beauty of the perishable, here being the beautiful cherry blossom tree. It would go on to create a strong bond with how the world sees the Japanese aesthetic entirely. It created a different approach to how people would look towards nature. Something as delicate and simple as white petals from Yoshino cherry trees falling to the ground created a sense of excitement and delight. Similarly, it boils down to the moment that a flowering cherry blossom tree finally perishes, and the feeling of melancholy that comes with it.

The viewing parties to see Japanese cherry trees have not only been embodied by poetry but have been seen in different forms of paintings as well. One of these is Kitao Shigemasa's scene of a hanami. This scene is the depiction of three women and a man at a picnic in Asukayama Park. This park was opened by the Shogun at the time, who is the leader of the nation in its history, Tokugawa Yoshimune. He led by example and planted his own cherry blossom trees in the park. This painting is the depiction of a comfortable picnic, and this scene of hanami embodies the very spirit of this tradition. People seem to be enjoying the warm lake, sunlight sprinkling down, and the people in the painting enjoying sake and different food that goes with the tradition.

These parties to view flowering cherry trees are not only part of the history of the nation. These parties continue to be a part of Japanese culture today, and the viewing of cherry blossoms has been a very popular pastime in the nation. This tradition of laying a blanket on the ground, drinking sake with friends, and enjoying the flowering of these cherry blossom trees. It is not just a tradition that celebrates ornamental cherry trees, but brings people closer together and allows them to enjoy the simplicities of nature. This has evolved to become the cherry blossom festival. The festival is popularly termed Hanami. It embodies the willingness and love of people of appreciating the beauty and serenity of Japanese cherry trees.

The history of Japanese cherry blossom trees is not limited to within the country itself. It has been a vital aspect of how Japan approached diplomacy. In the year 1912, cherry trees were planted in Washington D.C. These cherry flowers were gifted to the United States of America by Japan as a gesture of good faith. The wife of the Japanese ambassador at the time would go on to plant two Yoshino cherry trees on the northern bank of the Tidal Basin. This ceremony planted roots of what would go on to be the National Cherry Blossom Festival that takes place in Washington D.C. Interestingly enough, the two original cherry trees that were planted are still around today. These small cherries were part of American-Japanese relations that exist.

Japanese Cherry Tree Characteristics

While Japanese cherry trees are a collective of different varieties of flowers, there are some similar characteristics for these cherry trees.

The Japanese cherry tree can grow up to be extremely large. Usually, the size of these trees is around 50 ft (15.2 m) and about 40 ft (12.2 m) wide. In some cases, if the cherry tree is given a healthy amount of nourishment and nutrition, these cherry trees can grow up to about 75 ft (22.8 m)! The soil requirements need for the soil to be very acidic, and there is good drainage. For a cherry tree to look very lush, there need to be several hours of sunlight that these cherry trees need.

However, it must be remembered that these cherry trees do not constantly require sunlight to survive. This is particularly fascinating because even though these plants do not require a lot of sunlight, they can make it through the deep freezes of winter. This is evident that cherry trees are some of the hardiest flora that can be found anywhere in the world. Another of the more interesting details is that while the name of the trees is the Japanese cherry trees, they can be found all over the world.

Some of the most popular locations that embody the spirit of growing cherry blossom trees are Washington D.C. in the United States, Bonn in Germany, Edinburgh in Scotland, Stockholm in Sweden, and Gothenburg in Norway. The lifespan of a cherry tree depends on the species of the tree in question. Some trees are known to live up to a period of about 20 years, while some go on to live for longer than that.

Common Uses For Japanese Cherry Blossoms

Here are some of the common uses for Japanese cherry blossoms.

Cherry blossom trees are part of skincare products that are used in the world due to their anti-inflammatory properties of these trees. Contrary to popular belief, cherries that come from these flowers are not commonly consumed. While these are edible cherries and the tree does give edible fruit, these trees are grown for their flowers, and not for their cherries.