Keele University Arboretum

Prunus 'Beni-shigure'

Selected by Masatoshi Asari in 1961 from seedlings of cv. ‘Azuma-nishiki’ - presumably a natural hybrid between cv. ‘Azuma-nishiki’ and the P. verecunda strain of P. lannesiana.

[Syn: P. lannesiana Wilson cv. Beni-shigure]

Character: cup-shaped tree to 8-10 m high. Much branched habit (similar to cv. ‘Sekiyama’.

Double, widely opening flowers (28-35 petals) large (4.5-5.5 cm dia.) Coloured deep purple-red. It has 2 phylloid pistils. Buds are purple-red. Flowers in late April. No scent. Pistils visible.

Young foliage is red-brown. Mature leaves are elliptical or ovate-elliptical (15 x 8 cm), green above, light green below.