Pink Yoshino Cherry Tree Varieties

Akebono

• The cultivar "Akebono" is also sold under the anglicized name of "Daybreak." Maturing 15 to 25 feet tall and 15 to 35 feet wide, this selection of Yoshino cherry develops a rounded canopy with a spreading habit. The flower petals look light pink when in bud form and when they first open. As the petals age, the pink hues fade to nearly white before dropping away. When young, Akebono grows vigorously to establish quickly and create an attractive small tree.

Afterglow

• A seedling from an Akebono tree was selected by horticulturists and named as cultivar "Afterglow." Unlike its parent, Afterglow blossoms remain light pink and do not fade as they age. This tree grows quickly, with a rounded canopy silhouette, but matures larger, with a height of 20 to 30 feet and a spread of 20 to 30 feet. Afterglow potentially makes a better street or lawn specimen tree than Akebono since it does not have as many spreading branches that can interfere with vehicle clearance.

Pink Shell

• "Pink Shell" is a semiweeping cultivar of the form perpendens, the latter usually sold under the ambiguous cultivar name "Shidare-Yoshino." Pink Shell grows quickly in its youth, eventually maturing to 20 feet tall and 25 feet wide, with spreading branches that gently weep at their twig tips. The flowers open medium pink and fade to light pink. The blossoms tend to retain a cup shape rather than open flat and wide.

Yoshino Pink Form

• The famous white-flowering Yoshino cherry flanking the Tidal Basin with gently arching branches is known as cultivar Shidare-Yoshino. Great variation exists among the trees labeled as Shidare-Yoshino, especially if they're grown from seed. Sometimes the trees develop a pale pink flower color rather than the typical snow white, and these trees are referred to as "Yoshino Pink Form." This tree grows 20 to 25 feet tall and 25 to 30 feet wide, with a spreading, weeping branch tip silhouette. Detecting the pale pink flower color is difficult, unless it grows next to a white-flowering Shidare-Yoshino, which helps differentiate the subtle petal color differences.