The difference between cherry blossoms and cherries

Different families

Both cherry blossoms and cherries belong to the subfamily Prunoideae of the Rosaceae family. Cherries belong to the genus Prunus, while cherry blossoms belong to the genus Prunus. They are two different plants. Cherry blossoms can be divided into two types: single-petal and double-petal. Single-petal types can bloom and bear fruit, while double-petal types mostly do not bear fruit. Cherry blossoms are the flowers of the cherry tree, whose fruit are edible cherries. The fruit of the cherry tree is called cherry fruit.

Different uses

Cherry is a fruit tree, and cherry is an ornamental tree. There are also differences between the two in terms of appearance and flowering period. Cherry is a small tree with a relatively short plant; it blooms in early March; the flowers are white with a slight pink tint, smaller and denser than cherry blossoms; after flowering, they bear fruit, which is called cherry, and is red when ripe. Cherry blossoms are tall trees that bloom from late March to early April. The flowers are white or pink. Although some varieties of cherry blossoms can bear fruit, the fruits are very small and astringent, making them almost inedible.

Different plant names

"Cherry blossom" has been the customary name for this type of plant in China since ancient times. Therefore, in the Flora of China, these plants are named after so-and-so cherries. Some plants of the subgenus Sakura are called so-and-so cherries, and some are called so-and-so cherry blossoms. The flowers of this type of plant are now more commonly called cherry blossoms, and this is the source of the misunderstanding.

Different flowering times

Cherries bloom in early spring, and the flowers open before the leaves grow. The flowering period is similar to that of white magnolia, but earlier than that of cherry blossoms. Because cherry blossoms are similar to cherry blossoms and bloom before leaves grow, many tourists mistake the two. In fact, cherry blossoms are the flowers of cherry trees, and cherry blossoms are the flowers of cherry trees.