The ephemeral beauty of cherry blossoms, with their delicate pink and white hues, signals the arrival of spring. These celebrated, short-lived flowering trees are famous for their spectacular floral display before their leaves emerge, transforming landscapes into fleeting clouds of color. The name “cherry blossom” suggests a direct relationship to the familiar fruit, yet the connection is not immediately clear. Understanding this common name involves looking at the tree’s botanical ancestry, selective cultivation, and cultural popularization.
The Botanical Link to the Fruit
The name “cherry” is applied to these flowering trees because they share a close scientific lineage with the cherry fruit tree and other stone fruits. Both ornamental cherry blossoms and fruit-producing cherry trees belong to the genus Prunus, which encompasses over 400 species of flowering shrubs and trees. This genus also includes almonds, plums, peaches, and apricots, all of which produce a type of fruit known as a drupe, or stone fruit.
Trees within the Prunus genus share distinct characteristics, including simple leaves with toothed margins and flowers typically featuring five petals and five sepals. The classification as “cherry” is rooted in this shared ancestry and morphology, specifically within the subgenus Cerasus, which contains the true cherries. Thus, the flowering trees are named after their botanical cousins whose focus is on producing edible fruit.
Distinguishing Ornamental Varieties from Fruiting Trees
The most common confusion regarding the name is whether the trees produce edible cherries, and the answer lies in selective breeding. Ornamental cherry blossom trees, such as the widely planted Yoshino cherry (Prunus × yedoensis) or the Japanese Flowering Cherry (Prunus serrulata), have been cultivated specifically to maximize flower production. These ornamental varieties prioritize an abundance of larger, often double-petaled, showy flowers over the size or quality of the fruit.
Fruiting cherry trees, like the sweet cherry (Prunus avium) or sour cherry (Prunus cerasus), have been bred with a focus on yield, flavor, and disease resistance for commercial consumption. The flowers on these trees are generally smaller and less spectacular than their ornamental counterparts, which are bred to flower for a longer duration. While ornamental varieties can produce small, round fruits, known as drupelets, these are usually bitter or contain very little flesh, making them undesirable for human consumption and typically only eaten by birds.
Selective breeding has also resulted in some ornamental varieties, particularly those with double-layered petals like the ‘Kanzan’ cultivar, being sterile or incapable of producing viable seeds, though they are easily propagated by grafting. This deliberate focus on aesthetics over agriculture is the functional difference that separates the fruit-bearing cherry tree from the flower-focused cherry blossom tree.
Cultural Popularization and the Name Sakura
The widespread adoption of the term “cherry blossom” outside of botanical circles is largely a result of the global influence of Japanese culture. In Japan, the flowering tree is known as sakura (桜), and this term has become synonymous with the spring tradition of hanami, or flower viewing. This tradition, which involves gathering beneath the blooming trees to appreciate their transient beauty, dates back to the Heian period (794–1185), when the focus shifted from plum blossoms to the cherry.
The cultural and symbolic significance of sakura—representing the fleeting nature of life and beauty—elevated its status within Japan. As Japanese culture gained international exposure in the 19th and 20th centuries, the reverence for the sakura followed. Major international events, such as Japan’s gift of thousands of ornamental cherry trees to the United States, cemented the English name “cherry blossom” for these specific ornamental Prunus varieties on a global scale.