Cherry Blossom

A cherry blossom is the flower of any of several trees of genus Prunus, particularly the Japanese cherry, Prunus serrulata, which is called sakura after the Japanese.

It is now widely distributed, especially in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere including Europe, West Siberia, India, China, Japan, Korea, Canada, and the United States.

In South Korea, the origins of cherry blossoms is contentious. The Japanese planted Yoshino cherry trees at Seoul's Changgyeonggung Palace and the viewing of cherry blossoms was introduced to Korea during Japanese rule. Yet Koreans continued to plant Yoshino cherry trees and festivals began attracting a wide range of tourists. Many Korean researchers assert that the Yoshino cherry is the same species as a Korean indigenous species called "king cherry", whose mass production is still being studied. In Korea most of the places for cherry blossom festivals, including Yeouido and Jinhae, are still planted with Japanese Yoshino cherry blossoms [wikipedia].