Interesting question: 'Do cherry blossom trees bear fruit?'

Spring comes, on the streets of many big cities around the world, cherry blossoms bloom, stunningly beautiful, not only for tourists but also for local people.

However, not every area has cherry blossoms. For people in many countries, especially in tropical countries, the word cherry is often only associated with a small fruit with a dark red and shiny skin, often imported from countries with cherry trees. dig.

Cherry trees and cherry blossom trees. (Source: iStock).

Therefore, someone must have asked the question whether the attractive cherries they eat come from those densely blooming cherry trees.

On wusa9.com, the local news site of Washington DC., USA, there was even a question: 'Do cherry blossom trees produce cherries?' along with the caption: 'We think this is a question that you will be afraid to speak up about, so we will give the answer.'

The answer that this news site gives, referencing information from US National Park Plant Specialist Matthew Morrison and the Arbor Day Foundation, is: Yes, cherry blossom trees can produce fruit, but this will Not the kind of cherry you want to put on top of your cake.

Expert Matthew Morrison said the Yoshino cherry blossom trees growing around the Tidal Basin lake, Washington DC, were a gift from Japan in 1912. These trees produce 'big, beautiful and delicious' fruits.

However, later generations of cherry trees were not grown from the seeds of the mother tree, but were propagated by cuttings. Therefore, they do not bear fruit but only flowers. However, there are some cherry trees that have the original DNA present and they will have tiny fruits.

As the Arbor Day Foundation explains, these small berries are an important food source for many small birds.

Expert Morrison describes: 'They are tiny cherries that humans would never want to eat, but the wildlife around here do. They resemble berries, but have a very large seed and a thin pulp.'

This change is due to human cross-breeding of plants grown along the Tidal Basin more than 100 years ago, for the purpose of serving humans, not animals.

' A tree that does not bear fruit is much cleaner and tidier. That's why we grow them just to flower , ' Morrison said. He adds that if you want to pick fresh cherries around the area, the only way is to go to a farmers market.

Cherry blossoms bloom on the banks of Tidal Basin lake in Washington, DC (USA). (Photo: Kieu Trang/TTXVN)

Madison Moulton, a freelance writer specializing in gardening, has outlined the notable differences between these two types of trees, of which the first difference comes from the name: Cherry Tree and Cherry Tree. Cherry Blossom tree (Cherry Blossom).

According to this author, although both trees have part of the name cherry and share the same genus Prunus, they are divided into different varieties. For example, sour cherries are P. cerasus, sweet cherries are P. avium. There are many varieties of cherry blossoms, such as P. serrulata or P. speciosa, also known as ornamental cherry.

In other words, 'cherry trees' also have flowers but are not as bright and prominent because they focus on producing fruit. The 'cherry blossom trees' still produce fruit, but they are small and not delicious.

Madison also said that in fact most of the year, both types of trees look quite similar. They have quite similar leaf shapes and branch structures, only slightly different in size. Cherry blossom trees are usually one and a half to twice the height of cherry trees, although the canopy coverage is still similar.

Cherry blossoms bloom in Tokyo, Japan, March 14, 2023. (Photo: Kyodo/TTXVN).

They begin to differ significantly when it comes to flowering season. Cherry trees produce flowers that have a short lifespan and quickly bear fruit. These flowers often have few petals and are white or pinkish red. They will then be covered with clusters of dark red or dark purple fruit.

Meanwhile, the flowers of the cherry blossom tree will bloom for several weeks and show off their brilliant beauty when in bloom. Cherry blossoms come in many different colors and shapes. Some are even yellow or green.

Madison also offers an easy way to differentiate the two types of seedlings when you go shopping. That is, look at their labels. If longan is an ornamental tree, then it is a cherry blossom tree. If you label a fruit tree, it's a cherry tree .