Prunus nipponica

{{Short description|Shrub originating in Hokkaido and Honshu}}

{{Speciesbox

|image = Prunus nipponica Blossom crop.jpg

|status = DD

|status_system = IUCN3.1

|status_ref = {{cite iucn |author1=Rhodes, L. |author2=Pollard, R.P. |author3=Maxted, N. |date=2016 |title=Cerasus nipponica |volume=2016 |page=e.T50028357A50670306|doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T50028357A50670306.en |access-date=9 February 2023}}

|parent = Prunus subg. Cerasus

|taxon = Prunus nipponica

|authority = Matsum.{{GRIN | accessdate = January 28, 2014}}

|synonyms =

• Prunus alpina Koidz.
• Prunus iwagiensis Koehne
• Prunus iwozana Koidz.
• Prunus nikkoensis Koehne

}}

Prunus nipponica, also called {{nihongo|Japanese alpine cherry|高嶺桜|Takanezakura}} or Kurile cherry, is a shrub which originates from the islands of Hokkaido and Honshu, Japan. It grows to a height of about {{convert|5|m|ft|sp=us}} and can grow in sandy, loamy, and clay soils.{{cite web|url=http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Prunus+nipponica|title=Prunus nipponica - Matsum.|publisher=Plants for a Future|accessdate=January 28, 2014}}

This species is one of the hardiest of cherry trees, well-suited to cold climates. The flowers are a very light pink or even white in color.{{cite web|url=http://www.mustila.fi/en/plants/prunus/nipponica/kurilensis|title=Prunus nipponica var. kurilensis - Japanese alpine or Kurile cherry|publisher=Mustila Arboretum|accessdate=January 28, 2014}} Flowers bloom in the first half of spring. They have 5 petals and are {{convert|3|cm|in|sp=us}} in diameter. The pistils are usually longer than the stamen. The leaves are serrated and the bark is gray.{{cite web|publisher=Pennsylvania State University|url=http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/r/x/rxc9/Cherries.htm|title=Sakura The Flowering Cherries of Japan|accessdate=January 29, 2014}} In autumn the leaves turn yellow and orange-red; these are rare autumnal colors for a cherry tree.{{cite book|last=Flint|first=Harrison L. |title=Landscape Plants for Eastern North America|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|location=New York|year=1997|page=493|isbn=0-471-59919-0}}{{cite journal|journal=Arnoldia|publisher=Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University|year=1950|volume=10|issue=3|title=The Better Oriental Cherries}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/325249/Prunus-nipponica-var-kurilensis-Brillant/Details|title = Prunus nipponica var. Kurilensis 'Brillant' | Kurile cherry 'Brilliant'/RHS Gardening}}

P. nipponica wood contains significant amounts of these flavonoids: d-catechin, naringenin, sakuranetin, eriodictyol, taxifolin, genistein, and prunetin.{{cite journal|last=Hasegawa|first=Maseo|journal=Journal of the American Chemical Society|title=Flavonoids of Various Prunus Species. VI. The Flavonoids in the Wood of Prunus aequinoctialis, P. nipponica, P. Maximowiczii and P. avium|year=1957|pages=1738–1740|volume=79|issue=7|doi=10.1021/ja01564a056}} Being a member of the genus Prunus, P. nipponica would contain amygdalin and prunasin which form hydrocyanic acid when combined with water. This acid is poisonous but in very small doses it can improve respiration, digestion, and a sense of well-being. The fruit can be used as food and to make green dye.

This species was first reported by Japanese botanist Jinzō Matsumura in the Tokyo Botanical Magazine in 1901.{{cite book|title=The Cherries of New York|last=Hedrick|first=U. P-.|publisher=New York Department of Agriculture|year=1915|location=Albany, NY|page=20}} It is in the section Pseudocerasus of the cherry subgenus Cerasus of the genus Prunus, which are ornamental plants. Ma et al classified it in a group with Prunus incisa.{{cite journal|last1=Ma|first1=Hongmei|last2=Olsen|first2=Richard|last3=Pooler|first3=Margaret|journal=Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science|title=Evaluation of Flowering Cherry Species, Hybrids, and Cultivars Using Simple Sequence Repeat Markers|year=2009|pages=435–444|volume=134|issue=4|doi=10.21273/JASHS.134.4.435|url=http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/37581/PDF|doi-access=free|url-access=subscription}} P. nipponica is on the "List of Protected Animals and Plants in the Wildlife Protection Zone" of the wilderness Shirakami-Sanchi World Heritage Site.{{cite web|title=List of Protected Animals and Plants in the Wildlife Protection Zone|publisher=Ministry of the Environment Government of Japan|url=https://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/wh/shirakami/list.html|accessdate=January 29, 2014}}