Prunus incisa Arboretum Kórnik - Fuji cherry

Prunus incisa 'Arboretum Kórnik' is one of the earliest flowering varieties of Japanese cherry trees. It is a rarely cultivated small tree, remarkably ornamental when covered in white flowers with pink hearts from April onwards. Its foliage offers beautiful autumn colours, ranging from yellow to orange-yellow before falling. It is hardy and grows in full sun and most soils.

Prunus incisa 'Arboretum Kórnik' is sometimes called Prunus cerasus x hillieri f. kórnicensis or Prunus ‘Kornicensis’. This cultivar was selected in the 1930s at the Kórnik Arboretum in Poland. It is derived from seeds of Prunus yedoensis obtained in 1930 at the Arnold Arboretum, probably as a result of cross-breeding with Prunus sargentii. The 'Kornicensis' cherry tree resembles the more commonly cultivated Prunus 'Hillieri', but its flowers have slightly smaller petals, and their base becomes more pinkish-purple after the corolla opens. All these plants belong to the Rosaceae family.

Prunus incisa 'Arboretum Kórnik' develops a very short trunk topped with a wide, spreading, dense, and highly branched crown. Eventually, it reaches a height of 3 to 4 m with a slightly smaller spread. The tree has deciduous foliage. Its young branches are smooth and reddish. Flowering occurs in March-April. The flower buds are pale pink. The single flowers are grouped in 2 to 4. Each one has a red tubular calyx, red-washed toothed sepals, and almost white petals that gradually turn pink, especially at the base, where a purplish spot forms. After pollination by insects, round fruits measuring about 8 mm in length are formed, black when ripe and with a sweet-bitter taste.
The leaves measure 8 to 12 cm in length and 4 to 6 cm in width. They are broadly elliptical to obovate, pointed, and usually singly or doubly toothed along the edges. The developing young leaves are coppery green, visible at the beginning of flowering, and then they become dark green at maturity. The foliage turns yellow to orange in autumn before falling.

Prunus incisa 'Arboretum Kórnik' is a small tree that is hardy, tolerating temperatures as low as -20°C. It does not mind the cold, but its early flowering may suffer from late frosts. It should be planted in a location sheltered from cold winter winds. It will be absolutely charming in any garden. It will be magnificent when planted alone on a lawn. It can also be placed in the centre of a flower bed dedicated to it, paired with asters for dry soil, perennial geranium 'Rozanne', Sedum spectabile 'Carl', and Japanese spirea 'Crispa', for example.