Keele University Arboretum

Prunus 'Amanogowa' - Apple Blossom Cherry

First recorded in Japan in 1886. Full name is Prunus serrulata Lindley ‘Ama-no-gawa’ [translates as Heaven’s River - the Japanese name for the Milky Way.

[Syn: ‘Erecta’; P. serrulata f. erecta Miyoshi; P. lannesiana f. erecta Wilson.]

Trees have a fastigiate habit and can grow up to 10m tall but may be only a few metres wide making it an ideal tree for planting in rows, as seen in the photograph, or in small gardens.

The flowers, which are semi double, a delicate shade of pale pink and fragrant too, are produced in upright clusters of 4-5 flowers, each with 6 - 15 petals c.20 mm dia, slightly red calyx. Flowers in late April.. The leaves are dark green but turn orange and red in the autumn.

As it grows, there is a tendency for the outer branches to be pulled outwards, either by their own weight or by weight of snow in the winter, thus compromising the shape. This can be corrected by judicious pruning or by tying in the outer branches.