A cherry blossom tree is indeed a cherry tree, but the name refers to a specific group cultivated for their flowers rather than their fruit. The common confusion arises because “cherry tree” often implies a source of edible fruit, while “cherry blossom tree” describes an ornamental variety. All cherry trees produce blossoms, but those popularized for their stunning spring display have been intentionally bred over centuries to prioritize floral beauty. This functional distinction separates commercial fruit production from landscape aesthetics, influencing the tree’s scientific classification and physical characteristics.
The Botanical Relationship
Both the sweet cherry found in grocery stores and the flowering cherry share the same botanical umbrella. All cherry trees belong to the genus Prunus, which also includes related stone fruits like plums, peaches, and apricots. Scientifically, this shared lineage confirms that a cherry blossom tree is fundamentally a cherry tree.
Within the Prunus genus, different species are cultivated for specific purposes. Fruiting varieties, such as the sweet cherry (Prunus avium), are selected for palatable fruit. Ornamental cherry blossom trees, like the Japanese cherry (Prunus serrulata), represent different species and hybrid cultivars developed solely for their blossoms. The species designation highlights the divergence in their primary characteristics.
Ornamental Trees Bred for Blooms
The separation between flowering and fruiting cherries results from focused human selection and breeding goals. Fruit cherry trees are cultivated to maximize yield, size, flavor, and disease resistance, making blossom quality a secondary concern. Conversely, ornamental trees are selectively bred to maximize the spectacle of the flower display. This effort focuses on traits such as flower size, petal density, color saturation, and the overall duration of the flowering period.
This prioritization often leads to floral characteristics that impair the tree’s ability to produce edible fruit. Many ornamental cultivars, such as the popular ‘Kanzan’, feature double-petaled flowers where stamens and pistils have been replaced by extra petals. This morphological change results in the tree being sterile or severely reducing its capacity for successful pollination. Even when ornamental varieties produce fruit, it is typically a small, bitter drupe that is inedible for humans, serving mostly as a food source for birds.
Distinguishing Features of Fruiting and Flowering Varieties
Even outside of the spring bloom, distinctions between the two types of cherry trees can be spotted based on physical markers. Fruiting varieties typically produce a simple, single flower with five distinct petals. Ornamental cherry blossoms are frequently much denser, often appearing as double or semi-double flowers with a ruffled appearance due to the increased petal count. These ornamental blossoms also tend to emerge earlier and last longer than the short-lived blossoms of fruit-bearing trees.
The bark provides another reliable identifier, as all Prunus trees feature prominent horizontal lines called lenticels. On many common ornamental varieties, such as the Yoshino cherry, these lenticels are particularly pronounced and stand out against grayish-brown bark. Mature ornamental trees tend to exhibit a more spreading, umbrella-like canopy shape, often growing taller than their fruit-producing counterparts. Fruiting cherry trees are often pruned for easier harvesting, resulting in a more upright, contained form, while ornamentals are allowed to spread to maximize visual impact.