Prunus nipponica

Prunus nipponica, also called Japanese alpine cherry (高嶺桜, Takanezakura) or Kurile cherry, is a shrub which originates from the islands of Hokkaido and Honshu, Japan. It grows to a height of about 5 meters (16 ft) and can grow in sandy, loamy, and clay soils. This species is one of the hardiest of cherry trees, well-suited to cold climates. The flowers are a very light pink or even white in color. Flowers bloom in the first half of spring. They have 5 petals and are 3 centimeters (1.2 in) in diameter. The pistils are usually longer than the stamen. The leaves are serrated and the bark is gray. In autumn the leaves turn yellow and orange-red; these are rare autumnal colors for a cherry tree. P. nipponica wood contains significant amounts of these flavonoids: d-catechin, naringenin, sakuranetin, eriodictyol, taxifolin, genistein, and prunetin. Being a member of the genus Prunus, P. nipponica would contain amygdalin and prunasin which form hydrocyanic acid when combined with water. This ......read more on Wikipedia.