Sargent Cherry (Prunus sargentii)

Sargent cherry is referred to as Prunus sargentii in the scientific classification. This means that it belongs to the genus Prunus and sargentii species. It is commonly found in Asia particularly in Korea and Japan. Asia is home to most cherries and Sargent cherry is just one of those.


Description
Sargent cherry is a tree that is rounded and upright spreading. Its bark is polished and has a deep reddish brown coloration. It grows at a moderate rate and can attain heights of about 25 to 30 feet. Sargent cherry is a perfect shade tree because it spreads wide and since it is tall, it casts a dense shade right below it. As it grows, it develops multiple trunks and branches which are upright and spring up from the same position around the trunk. They ascend in a graceful fashion.

Leaves
Just like a typical cherry, the Sargent cherry has leaves that are alternate, elliptic to narrow-obovate, simple and serrated. They measure between 2 and 5 inches in length while their width measures around 2.5 inches. The leaves have a deep green coloration which is shiny and can take various shades ranging from bronze to orange and red before finally falling off towards the end of September. The shedding of leaves for the Sargent cherry happens while other trees are still green. The young leaves which sprout in spring are usually reddish tinged.

Flowers
Flowering for the Sargent cherry happens in late April or in the early days of May. The flowers measure an inch wide and have a coloration that ranges from pink to deep pink. They can either appear before the leaves start sprouting or appear together. The flowers are borne in clusters with each cluster holding between 2 and 6 flowers on a one inch long stalk.

Fruits
The fruits season comes straight after the flowering and it stretches from June to July. The Sargent cherries are 1/3-inch long, ovoid in shape and purple-black in color. They are inconspicuous but attract a lot of birds.