SAKURA (Prunus Serrulata)

The Sakura or cherry blossom is the flower of flowers to the Japanese people. It is a native flower, and the blossoms have been loved more than 10 centuries. The people love to see not only the single petal cherry blossoms in their prime and freshness, they also relish the beauty of falling snowy petals in the spring breeze. Sakura (or 櫻) is the Japanese name for ornamental cherry trees, Prunus Serrulata, and their cherry blossoms. It is a small flower that blooms in the spring. It is originated from Japan and was introduced into Taiwan in the early 20th century.

Its flowers are nearly pure white, tinged with the pale pink, especially near the stem. They appear on the trees before the green of the leaves, this makes their sight even more dramatic as the trees in full bloom look almost white from top to bottom.

Sakura trees are planted on mountain sides, parks and gardens and most notably along many river embankments. When the blossoming season comes, these trees on winding river embankments turn into gorgeous belts of blossoms extending many miles. It is said, ancient people started to plant Sakura trees on river banks, so that people would be lured to come and their walking on the embankments would solidly pack the earth to make it strong enough to withstand the flooding water in autumn.

The blooming period of sakura is very short, and in a few days the flower is scattered away in the spring breeze. The blossoming begins in Okinawa in February, and typically reaches Kyoto and Tokyo at the end of March or the beginning of April. Then it proceeds north, arriving in Hokkaido a few weeks later. Japanese pay close attention to these cherry blossom forecasts. They will go to parks, shrines and temples with family and friends and hold a "flower viewing party" known as hanami (花見). Hanami festivals celebrate the beauty of sakura, and for many, it is a chance to relax and enjoy the beautiful view.

The fruit of sakura is small and not edible, but the wood of the tree is very valuable. It is tightly drained and hard, and makes good furniture and fixtures. In old days, sakura wood was used in making printing blocks for books and pictures. Sakura blossoms are preserved in salt. When the preserved flowers are put in hot water, it makes a fragrant and delightful drink. It is beautiful too, as the salted blossoms open up in the cup of hot water. This drink may be served at any time, but particularly it is customary to serve it at wedding ceremony and parties. Traditionally the people do not serve tea on such occasions, as 'chakasu' (turn to tea) means 'to turn everything to a jest.' So the serving of tea at a wedding ceremony may become an omen to turn the marriage into a sad failure. So Sakurayu or Sakura-tea is served in prayer for the happiness of the newly wed.

Several cultures of the indigenous countries believe that the sakura is home to have different meanings. In China, the blossom symbolizes feminine beauty, the feminine principle, or love in the language of herbs and plants. However, in Japan, the flower represents the transient nature of life, because of their short blooming times.

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Submitted as my writing assignment :) by: @MutiaRKinasih