Prunus discoidea: Early Spring Cherry Blossoms That Will Amaze You

Prunus discoidea is a near-threatened species of plant. The flowers bloom before the leaves or, occasionally, alongside them, with each umbel typically having two flowers, though sometimes one or three are present.

The young leaves vary in color from green to reddish-brown, and the blossoms are dense, small, and intricately beautiful. Due to its propagation method of seeding, the flowers can vary in color from light purples and pinks to white, making it one of the most beautiful early-blooming cherry trees.

I. General Introduction

The Early Spring Cherry (Scientific name: Cerasus discoidea Yu et Li) is a small deciduous tree, growing 2-3.5 meters tall with gray-white bark. Its slender branches are purple-brown, and the young shoots are sparsely soft-haired or bald when shed.

The winter buds are ovoid and hairless. The leaves are ovate-lanceolate or elliptical, darker green on the top and covered with sparse soft hairs, paler green underneath.

The flowers bloom before the leaves or sometimes with them, each umbel bearing two flowers but occasionally one or three. The petals are pink, elongated, and bifurcated at the end. The stamens number 32-40.

The pistil is hairless, and the style is enlarged. The drupes red, approximately 1 cm in diameter when mature. The fruit’s surface is somewhat angular. It blooms in March and bears fruit in May.

It grows in mountain valley forests or riverbank shrubs, at altitudes of 200-1100 meters. It is found in Anhui, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi in China.

II. Growth and Distribution

The Early Spring Cherry thrives in mountain valley forests or riverbank shrubs, at altitudes of 200-1100 meters. It is native to Anhui, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi in China.

III. Characteristics

The Early Spring Cherry is a small deciduous tree, growing 2-3.5 meters tall with gray-white bark. Its slender branches are purple-brown, and the young shoots are sparsely soft-haired or bald when shed.

The winter buds are ovoid and hairless. The leaves are ovate-lanceolate or elliptical, 4-8 cm long and 1.5-3.5 cm wide. The leaf tips are abruptly or caudate, the base is wedge-shaped or rarely round, with incised serrated edges.

The leaf top is dark green and covered with sparse soft hairs, while the underside is pale green and soft-haired, denser when young. The leaves have 8-10 pairs of veins.

The leaf stalk is 5-7 mm long, covered with sparse soft hair when young, later shed to become nearly hairless, with 1-3 glands at the top. The stipules are narrow band-shaped, 5-8 mm long, with small discoid glands along the edge.

The flowers bloom before the leaves or sometimes with them, each umbel bearing two flowers but occasionally one or three.

The base often has brown leathery scales, and the total bract is brown, ovate-elliptical, 3-4 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, hairless on the outside, sparsely soft-haired on the inside, with a toothed end and small capitular glands along the edge.

The overall stem is 3-10 mm long, covered with sparse soft hair or hairless, hidden inside the leathery scales or slightly protruding. The bract is leathery, green, nearly round, 2-4 mm in diameter, almost hairless, with small discoid glands along the edge.

The flower stalk is 1-1.5 cm long, covered with sparse soft hair. The calyx is a tubular bell shape, 4-5 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, sparsely soft-haired on the outside, and the calyx lobes are oblong, 2-3 mm long, with a rounded or slightly pointed end.

The petals are pink, elongated, and bifurcated at the end. The stamens number 32-40. The pistil is hairless, and the style is enlarged.

The drupes are red, approximately 1 cm in diameter when mature. The stone’s surface is somewhat angular. It blooms in March and bears fruit in May.

IV. Cultivation Methods

Planting

Flatten the ground before planting. Dig a hole with a diameter of 0.8 meters and a depth of 0.6 meters. First, fill the hole with 10 cm of organic fertilizer, place the seedling in the hole, and let the roots of the seedling spread out.

After the cherry blossom is planted, pull the seedling upwards to allow the roots to spread. The depth of planting should be about 5 cm from the top layer of the seedling’s roots.

After planting, water the plant thoroughly, prop it up with sticks to prevent it from being blown down by the wind. When planting, apply 15-25 kg of compost per hole. In July, apply 1-2 kg of ammonium sulfate per plant.

After flowering and before budding in early spring, prune dead branches, weak branches, and overgrown branches, while avoiding heavy pruning to maintain a well-rounded tree crown.

Watering

Young plants are prone to drought damage after planting. Besides watering thoroughly during planting, water every 8-10 days to keep the soil moist but not waterlogged.

Loosen the soil in a timely manner after watering, and it’s best to lightly cover the ground with straw to reduce evaporation. For the first 2-3 years after planting, wrap the trunk with straw to prevent it from drying out.

But after 2-3 years, the seedling will grow new roots and gradually adapt to the environment, so it is no longer necessary to wrap it in straw. Watering should be based on rainfall and soil moisture, and is generally combined with fertilization.

Water should be sufficient but not excessive. Watering should be done 3-4 times a year. Drip irrigation can be used in facilities with water-saving measures, which is beneficial for the integration of water and fertilizer, and improves the utilization rate of water and fertilizer.

Fertilizing

Cherry blossoms should be fertilized twice a year, preferably with acidic fertilizers. The first time is during winter, applying organic fertilizers like bean cake, chicken manure, and compost.

The second time is after the flowers have fallen, applying quick-acting fertilizers like ammonium sulfate, ferrous sulfate, and superphosphate. In general, for large cherry blossom trees, fertilizers can be applied in holes dug around the edge of the tree’s crown projection line.

This method is simple and beneficial for root absorption. As the tree grows, the diameter and depth of the fertilizer hole should also increase. Cherry tree roots are shallow and require good drainage and ventilation.

Therefore, avoid compacting the soil around the tree, especially within the root distribution range, by human and animal traffic. Pedestrian traffic can weaken the tree, shorten its lifespan, and even cause root rot and death.

Pruning

Pruning involves cutting off wilted branches, overgrown branches, overlapping branches, and branches infested with pests.

Additionally, when many branches grow on the trunk of a large cherry blossom tree, retain several strong ones and cut off the rest from the base to allow for ventilation and light penetration.

After pruning, disinfect the cut branches immediately to prevent bacterial invasion that could lead to rot after rain. Long-term sun exposure can cause cherry tree bark to age and damage, leading to rot.

Remove and disinfect the affected part promptly. Then, wrap the rotten part with leaf mold and charcoal powder to help it recover its normal physiological functions.

Flower Care

July and August are the critical period for cherry flower bud differentiation. Improve the tree structure to increase ventilation and light penetration and enhance leaf photosynthesis.

Adjust the balance between nutritional growth and reproductive growth by spreading branches, pinching, twisting shoots, and moderate drought. This provides sufficient nutrition for flower bud differentiation.

Late frost is a major hazard during flowering. Use smoke, water spray, flower preservative spray, and other methods to reduce damage. Keep a close watch on weather forecasts and field temperature changes during flowering.

V. Pest Control

Gall Aphid

Gall aphids gather on leaves and young buds to feed on their sap, causing the edges of the affected leaves to curl into tubes. They have multiple generations in a year, overwintering as eggs in bud crevices and pruning scars on annual branches.

The overwintering eggs hatch in early April. From spring to fall, they reproduce parthenogenetically. The peak infestation period is in late June. Sexual aphids appear in October and November, laying eggs after mating to overwinter.

Control Methods: Refer to the control methods for chrysanthemum aphids. Ensure a comprehensive coverage of branches and leaf buds using a drenching spray to completely eradicate the pests and prevent future outbreaks.

Red Spider Mite

Red spider mites damage plants by piercing leaves and sucking sap, leading to the destruction of chlorophyll. This results in grayish-yellow spots or patches on the leaves, causing them to turn yellow and fall off.

Control Methods: If only a few leaves are affected, remove the infested leaves. In case of extensive infestation, apply pesticides early. Commonly used pesticides include acaricide, trichlorfon, lepiota, insecticide, and quick-kill insecticide.

Scale Insects

Scale insects damage leaves, branches, and fruits. Male scale insects usually have wings and can fly. Female and young insects, once molted, live on branches, leaves, or fruits for their entire lives, causing leaves to turn yellow, branch tips to wither, and overall tree vitality to decline. They also tend to induce sooty mold.

Control Methods: In winter, apply a 40-50 times diluted solution of machine oil emulsion to eradicate overwintering female insects.

During the peak hatching period of nymphs, use a 1000-1500 times solution of insecticides mixed in a 1:1 ratio of 40% oxidized insecticide, 40% speed kill insecticide, or 40.7% Lisbon insecticide with 80% enemy insecticide. Apply the solution three times consecutively for optimal results.

Gummosis

Gummosis is mainly caused by frost damage, freeze damage, pest infestation, hail damage, excessive or insufficient water, improper fertilization, excessive pruning, overbearing, heavy soil, or overly acidic soil.

If caused by moth larvae burrowing into the trunk to lay eggs, the eggs can be removed with a sharp knife. At the same time, improve the soil and strengthen water and fertilizer management.

Root-Knot Disease

Root-knot disease hinders normal root growth, leaving the tree unhealthy regardless of how much fertilizer is applied. It is crucial to promptly remove the tumor, disinfect the soil, and improve the soil using leaf mold, charcoal powder, and microorganisms.

Brown Spot Disease

This disease occurs from May to June, where purple-brown spots appear on the leaves, gradually expanding into circular shapes. The diseased spots dry up and contract, forming small holes.

The disease-causing fungi often overwinter on diseased branches and leaves. The optimal growth temperature is between 25°C and 28°C. The disease spreads through the wind and is facilitated by rainy seasons.

It can cause serious damage when the tree vitality is weakened, drainage is poor, and the conditions are not well-ventilated or adequately lit.

Control Methods: (1) Strengthen cultivation management, perform reasonable pruning, and be sure to cut off diseased branches. Timely clean-up and incineration of diseased leaves can create a clean growing condition for the plants.

(2) Before the new shoots sprout, spray 3 to 5 Baume degrees of lime sulfur mixture. During the disease period, spray 16 times Bordeaux mixture or 50% Benlate wettable powder diluted 1000 to 2000 times, or 15% Thiram Zinc diluted 600 to 800 times.

Leaf Blight

During the summer, yellow-green circular spots appear on the leaves, later turning brown and scattered with small black spots. The diseased leaves wilt but do not fall off.

Control Methods: During the growing season in areas with severe disease, from late June to October, spray the trees about every 10 days. Several consecutive sprays can effectively prevent and control the disease.

Common medications include 1:1:100 times Bordeaux mixture, 50% Tobujin diluted 500-800 times, 50% Mancozeb wettable powder diluted 1000 times (or 40% suspension concentrate diluted 600-800 times), 50% Benlate diluted 1000-1500 times, and 65% Thiram Zinc diluted 500 times. You can choose or alternate use.

VI. Value and Other

Main Value

The cherry blossoms are bright and colorful, with lush branches and leaves, making them an important flowering tree species in early spring, often used for garden viewing. They can be planted in groups, or on slopes, courtyards, roadsides, and in front of buildings.

When in full bloom, the tree is dazzling with a profusion of flowers, appearing like clouds and mist, creating a spectacular sight.

They can be planted in large numbers to create a “sea of flowers” scenery, or in small groups on green spaces to form clusters, or even planted alone, to create a “red dot among the green” painting. Cherry blossoms can also be used as walkway trees, hedges, or made into bonsai.

Species Identification

The welcoming cherry and short-pedicelled tail-leaf cherry look similar, but the latter has cone-shaped small glands at the top of the sawtooth edge of the leaf and stipule, and the edge of the bract is often torn, with glandular teeth at the top.

In the past, this species was often mistakenly named as the tail-leaf cherry, but it differs in that the glands at the top of the sawtooth edge of its leaf, stipule, and bract are stalkless and disc-shaped, with two flowers, rarely one or three, and sparse soft hairs on both sides of the leaf, which can be differentiated.