Japan and temperate East Asia, Singapore and tropical Asia
Season
winter, spring
Shape
cluster
Identification
A large shrub or small tree 3–8 m tall. Deep rose to crimson bell-shaped hanging flowers (the epithet means bell-shaped) whose petals never fully spread, with red calyces, in clusters of two to five before the leaves, rich in nectar and a canteen for white-eyes and sunbirds; small red drupes. The most heat-tolerant cherry and the earliest, hence the Japanese name scarlet cold cherry; the tree of New Taipei, the flower of Taichung and the emblem of Nago. Described by Maximowicz in 1883.
Habitat
Forest edge and valleys at low and middle elevations, widely planted in parks, campuses and streets, the star of the cherry season in Okinawa and Taiwan.
Distribution
Native to Japan (the Ryukyus), Taiwan, southern and eastern China (Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan, Hunan, Fujian, Zhejiang) and Vietnam; common throughout Taiwan and Okinawa, increasingly planted in southern China, unsuited to Singapore.
Season and behaviour
Late January to February in Okinawa (Japan's first cherry), January to March in Taiwan, February and March in southern China; about two weeks.
Photography tips
These are the FilmAnalysis editors' notes, not content from the sources.
Hanging bells want an upward view, deep rose against the sky; the red is highly saturated, so half a stop to a stop under. A white-eye hanging upside down for nectar is the obligatory pairing, with a long lens at 1/1600 s on one branch. Bare branches and red flowers contrast strongly before the leaves; Okinawa's cherry festivals and stone walls, and Wuling and Alishan in Taiwan, are the places.
Photographic styles
Hanging scarlet bells; white-eyes with cherry blossom.
Similar species
Kawazu cherry (its hybrid with the Oshima cherry, pink and the earliest on Honshu); Japanese hill cherry (white-pink, opening into cups); kanhizakura is this species' Japanese name.
Related badge
The album badge "cherry blossom" unlocks when the vision model explicitly names a cherry blossom in your photo and you rate the analysis. The badge stops at "cherry blossom": it does not tell species apart, and this page existing unlocks nothing.
The illustration is original FilmAnalysis artwork. No photographs yet: only photos cleared for commercial use with credit will be added.
Why it is listed: this species comes from the Flower checklist (GBIF backbone and Wikidata verified). Names follow the GBIF backbone and Wikidata; the facts follow the sources below; photo recognition is not offered.
