Sakura - A Flower Full Free Download REPACK
May Sobczak
The cherry blossom, also known as a Japanese cherry or Sakura, is the flower of trees in the genus Prunus or the Prunus subgenus Cerasus. Wild species of the cherry tree are widely distributed, mainly in the Northern Hemisphere.[4][5][6] They are common in East Asia, especially in Japan. They generally refer to ornamental cherry trees, not cherry trees grown for their fruit.[7][8] The cherry blossom is considered the national flower of Japan.[9]
In Europe and North America, cherry trees for ornamental purposes are classified into the genus Prunus, which consists of about 400 species. In the mainstream classification in Japan, China, and Russia, however, ornamental cherry trees are classified into the genus Cerasus, which consists of about 100 species separated from the genus Prunus. The genus Cerasus omits Prunus salicina, Prunus persica (Peach), Prunus mume, and Prunus grayana, amongst others.[7] Cultural and scientific divergences over the classification of Cherry Blossoms stem from the lack in Europe and North America of wild cherry trees with large flowers.[11][5]
In mainland China, viewing plum blossoms has been a cultural activity since ancient times. There were many wild species of cherry blossoms, but many of them only had small flowers. The distribution of wild species of cherry blossoms which bore large enough flowers for hanami was often limited to the immediate surroundings of populated areas.[12] On the other hand, in Japan, Prunus speciosa (Oshima cherry) and Prunus jamasakura (Yamazakura) [ja], which blooms into large flowers suitable for cherry blossom viewing and tend to become large trees, were distributed much more widely. The development of cherry blossoms viewing, and the production of cultivars is therefore considered to have taken place primarily in Japan.[12]
Many of the cherry trees currently enjoyed for cherry blossom viewing are not wild species but cultivars. Because cherry trees have mutable traits, many cultivars have been created for cherry blossom viewing, especially in Japan. Since the Heian period, the Japanese have produced many cultivars by selecting superior or mutant trees produced from the natural crossings of wild cherry trees. They were also produced by crossing trees artificially and then breeding them by grafting and cutting. Oshima cherry, Yamazakura, Prunus pendula f. ascendens (syn, Prunus itosakura, Edo higan), and other varieties which grow naturally in Japan mutate easily. The Oshima cherry especially, which is an endemic species in Japan, tends to mutate into double-flowered plant, grow quickly, have many large flowers, and have a strong fragrance; therefore, Oshima cherry has produced many Sakura (called Sato-zakura Group) as a base of cultivars due to its favorable characteristics. Two such cultivars are the Yoshino cherry and Kanzan; Yoshino cherries are actively planted in Asian countries, and Kanzan is actively planted in Western countries.[13][1][2][3]
In addition, since cherry trees are relatively prone to mutation and have a variety of flowers and characteristics, there are many varieties, (a sub-classification of species), hybrids between species, and cultivars. For this reason, many researchers have assigned different scientific names to the same type of cherry tree throughout different periods, and there is confusion in the classification of these plants.[14]
Some wild species, such as Edo higan and the cultivars developed from them, are in full bloom before the leaves open, giving a showy impression to the people who enjoy them. Yoshino cherry became popular for cherry-blossom viewing because of these characteristics of simultaneous flowering and blooming before the leaves open; it also bears many flowers and grows into a large tree. Many cultivars of the Sato-zakura group, which were developed from complex interspecific hybrids based on Oshima cherry, are often used for ornamental purposes. They generally reach full bloom a few days to two weeks after Yoshino cherry does.[15]
The flowering time of cherry trees is thought to be affected by global warming and the heat island effect of urbanization. According to the record of full bloom dates of Prunus jamasakura (Yamazakura) [ja] in Kyoto, Japan, which has been recorded for about 1200 years, the time of full bloom was relatively stable from 812 to the 1800s. After that, the time of full color rapidly became earlier, and in 2021, the earliest full bloom date in 1200 years was recorded. The average peak bloom day in the 1850s was around April 17, but by the 2020s, it was April 5; the average temperature rose by about 3.4 C (6.1 F) during this time. According to the record of full bloom dates of the Yoshino cherry in the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., the bloom date was April 5 in 1921, but it was March 31 in 2021. These records are consistent with the history of rapid increases in global mean temperature since the mid-1800s.[16][17]
Since a book written in the Heian period mentions "weeping cherry" ('しだり櫻, 糸櫻'), one of the cultivars with pendulous branches, Prunus itosakura 'Pendula' (Sidare-zakura) is considered the oldest cultivar in Japan. In the Kamakura period, when the population increased in the southern Kanto region, the Oshima cherry, which originated in Izu Oshima Island, was brought to Honshu and cultivated there; it then made its way to the capital, Kyoto. The Sato-zakura Group first appeared during the Muromachi period. [13]
Prunus itosakura (syn. Prunus subhirtella, Edo higan) is a wild species that grows slowly. However, it has the longest life span among cherry trees and is easy to grow into large trees. For this reason, there are many large, old specimens of this species in Japan. They are often regarded as sacred and have become landmarks that symbolize Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, and local areas. For example, Jindai-zakura [ja], which is around 2,000 years old, Usuzumi-zakura [ja], which is around 1,500 years old, and Daigo-zakura [ja], which is around 1,000 years old, are famous.[20]
In the Edo period, various double-flowered cultivars were produced and planted on the banks of rivers, in Buddhist temples, in Shinto shrines, and in daimyo gardens in urban areas such as Edo; the common people living in urban areas could enjoy them. Books from the period record more than 200 varieties of cherry blossoms and mention many varieties that are currently known, such as 'Kanzan'. However, this situation was limited to urban areas, and the main objects of hanami across the country were wild species such as Prunus jamasakura (Yamazakura) [ja] and Oshima cherry.[13]
In Japan, cherry blossoms symbolize clouds due to their nature of blooming en masse, as well as being an enduring metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life.[25] This is an aspect of Japanese cultural tradition that is often associated with Shinto influence,[26] and which is embodied in the concept of mono no aware.[27] The association of the cherry blossom with mono no aware dates back to 18th-century scholar Motoori Norinaga.[27] The transience of the blossoms, their exquisite beauty, and their volatility have often been associated with mortality[25] and the graceful and ready acceptance of destiny and karma; cherry blossoms are richly symbolic and have been utilized often in Japanese art, manga, anime, and film, as well as at musical performances for ambient effect. There is at least one popular folk song, originally meant for the shakuhachi (bamboo flute), titled "Sakura", and several pop songs. The flower is also represented in all manner of consumer goods in Japan, including kimonos, stationery, and dishware.
Japan has a wide variety of cherry blossoms (sakura) all over the country. Over 200 cultivars can be found there.[38] According to one classification method, it is thought that there are more than 600 cultivars in Japan.[39][40] The Tokyo Shimbun, claims that there are 800 varieties of cherry blossoms in Japan.[41] According to the results of DNA analysis of 215 cultivars carried out by Japan's Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute in 2014, many of the cultivars of cherry trees that have spread around the world are interspecific hybrids produced by crossing Oshima cherry and Prunus jamasakura (Yamazakura) [ja] with various wild species.[1][2] Among these cultivars, the Sato-zakura Group and many other cultivars have a large number of petals, and the representative cultivar is Prunus serrulata 'Kanzan'.[42][13]
The most popular variety of cherry blossoms in Japan is the Somei Yoshino (Yoshino cherry). Its flowers are nearly pure white, tinged with the palest pink, especially near the stem. They bloom and usually fall within a week before the leaves come out. Therefore, the trees look nearly white from top to bottom. The variety takes its name from the village of Somei (now part of Toshima in Tokyo). It was developed in the mid- to late-19th century, at the end of the Edo period and the beginning of the Meiji period. The Somei Yoshino is so widely associated with cherry blossoms that jidaigeki and other works of fiction often depict the variety in the Edo period or earlier; such depictions are anachronisms.[50]
Prunus kanzakura 'Kawazu-zakura' is a representative cultivar that blooms before the arrival of spring. It is a natural hybrid between the Oshima cherry and Prunus campanulata and is characterized by deep pink petals. Wild cherry trees usually do not bloom in cold seasons because they cannot produce offspring if they bloom before spring, when pollinating insects become active. However, it is thought that 'Kawazu-zakura' bloomed earlier because Prunus campanulata from Okinawa, which did not originally grow naturally in Honshu, crossed with the Oshima cherry. In wild species, flowering before spring is a disadvantageous feature of selection; in cultivars such as 'Kawazu-zakura', early flowering and flower characteristics are preferred, and they are propagated by grafting.[51]
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