Image: Wikimedia Commons (See link for license)
Japanese Apricot🌸
Prunus mume
ウメ
A deciduous small tree originating from China, cultivated in Japan since ancient times. Blooms white to pink flowers before the leaves emerge in early spring. An important source for umeboshi (pickled plums) and plum wine. Flowers earlier than cherry blossoms, heralding the arrival of spring.
Identification Points
- ✓Blooms earlier than cherry blossoms (January to March)
- ✓Flowers attach directly to branches (nearly sessile, lacking pedicels)
- ✓Strongly fragrant
- ✓Leaf tips are pointed with fine serrate margins
Habitat
Parks, gardens, plum groves
Season
January to March (flowers)
3D Specimen Model
Kyushu University, Shikano Lab (CC0)
View on Sketchfab→Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf shape
Ovate
Growth form
Tree
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Petal count
5 petals
Petal fusion
Free
Flower color
White
Flowering season
Spring
Habitat
Cultivated
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite
Stamen count
3-4
Phylogenetic Positionバラ科 →
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core eudicots > Rosales > Rosaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous (approx. 90 million years ago onward)
Sources & References
AI-generated, needs verification