Prunus Sato-zakura Group Japanese flowering cherries

‘Mt. Fuji’ cherry blossoms in the Quad’s Oregon Courtyard. Sairus Patel, 23 Mar 2021

A simple timetable for cherry blossom season

In the Quad’s Oregon Courtyard, Mt. Fuji cherries, past peak bloom, leaf out rapidly at the start of spring quarter. Blossoms on the taller columnar ‘Amanogawa’ behind them are just emerging. Sairus Patel, 31 Mar 2017

Following the 17 October 1989 earthquake, Japanese cherry varieties ‘Amanogawa’ and ‘Mt. Fuji’ (‘Shirotae’) donated by the Gifu Cherry Blossom Association were planted in the Oregon Courtyard (outer southeast Main Quad) in recognition of support from Stanford alumni and friends from the state of Oregon. Four ‘Mt. Fuji’ encircle the benches. Six more columnar ‘Amanogawa’, which bloom a fortnight later, surround them. Thus around mid to late April you will see the ‘Amanogawa’ ramping up towards full bloom while the ‘Mt. Fuji’ have started leafing out, their flowers fast fading.

Members of the Gifu Cherry Blossoms Group at the dedication of the newly landscaped Oregon Courtyard. Cathy Blake, 16 Apr 2000

Newly landscaped Oregon Courtyard on the day of its dedication, with Amanogawa cherry in bloom on the right. Cathy Blake, 16 Apr 2000

Another cultivar, ‘Kwanzan’, (‘Kanzan’) has deep pink, voluptuously ruffled blossoms and blooms the last of them all, holding its flowers for the longest. It can be seen on the right of Ventura Hall, in the center of the relocated Amy Blue Memorial Garden behind Building 60, and in the History Corner at Building 20. A row is on the left of 780 Welch Road.

‘Shogetsu’ was seen in the original location of the Amy Blue Memorial Garden in the old Serra Complex which was replaced by the Knight Management Center.

The Japanese flowering cherries have long been considered in the West to be cultivars of P. serrulata. Given they are mostly hybrids or selections of P. speciosa, they are more appropriately designated members of the Sato-zakura (village or cultivated cherries) Group.

Prunus serrulata ‘Mt. Fuji’ in the Oregon Courtyard. John Rawlings, 16 Apr 2004

Prunus ‘Kwanzan’, rear of Memorial Church, behind Building 60, before the Amy Blue Memorial Garden was relocated to that spot. John Rawlings, 7 Dec 2003