About Prunus itosakura Siebold
Prunus itosakura Siebold is both a wild cherry tree species native to Japan, and the collective name for cultivars bred from this wild species. The Japanese name itosakura (also written Itozakura, 糸桜) translates to "thread cherry", and this name has appeared in Japanese historical documents dating back to the Heian period. The hybrid between Prunus itosakura and Prunus incisa is scientifically named Prunus × subhirtella. Throughout history, Japanese cultivators have developed many cultivars from this wild species, and these cultivars are commonly called weeping cherry, autumn cherry, or winter-flowering cherry, each name referencing a characteristic trait of a particular cultivar group. Since 2018, the United States Department of Agriculture has recognized this species as Prunus itosakura, rather than Prunus subhirtella. Originally, the name itosakura referred specifically to the weeping cherry cultivar derived from Edo higan. In the past, weeping cherry trees were incorrectly identified as a wild species, and received a scientific name earlier than Edo higan. Because earlier published scientific names hold nomenclatural priority, the scientific name itosakura originally used for weeping cherry was also adopted as the scientific name for Edo higan, which is the type species of this taxon.
