Weeping Higan Cherry is a weeping flowering cherry tree from Japan. It is deciduous and grows up to 40 feet tall and wide with pendulous branches that are ascending, slender, scabrous, and have double pink flowers in umbels of 2-5 blooms in spring. It prefers moist, well-drained soils of average fertility in full sun, but is adaptable to poorer soils, compaction and dry soils once established. This plant has no good fall color. Several cultivars of this species are pendulous and part of the Pendula Group of cultvars. The trees are grafted onto Prunus avium rootstock at 4-5 ft in height. Be sure to prune off any growth at or below the graft as it will not have a weeping form. Weeping branches can be pruned shorter to allow for walking and mowing under or for plantings under the tree. Use as a specimen in an Asian theme garden. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Susceptible to many viral and fungal diseases and insects. Potential diseases include cankers, black knot, leaf spot, dieback, leaf curl, powdery mildew, root rot and fireblight. Potential insects include aphids, scale, borers, leafhoppers, caterpillars, tent caterpillars and Japanese beetles. Spider mites may also be troublesome. Quick ID Hints: Deciduous weeping tree with pink spring flowers Leaves with large wart-like glands on petiole and blade margin Twigs and petiole scabrous (rough, like sandpaper) More information on Prunus x subhirtella .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Often confused withPrunus domestica 'Stanley'Prunus x subhirtellaPrunus x yedoensis
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
24-60 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 15 ft. 0 in. - 40 ft. 0 in. | Width: 15 ft. 0 in. - 25 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Oval; Weeping
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Oblong; Ovate
Leaf margin
Doubly Serrate
Leaf feel
Glossy
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Dark green shiny, simple, alternate, ovate to lanceolate to oblong-ovate, cuneate, and have doubly serrate margins and acuminate apex. They have a short petiole that is short, scabrate, and bear two or more large wart-like glands on the petiole apex, but may have more glands intact with the blade base or on the blade margin near the base. Yellow fall color. Leaf size is 2-4 inches long by 1-2 inches wide.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow
Flower color
Pink
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Umbel
Flower shape
Cup; Saucer
Flower detail
Single or double flowers are light pink in pendulous clusters appearing before leaves in early spring and lasting about one week. Inflorescence is a congested corymb with elongated pedicels and very short rachis that give the appearance of an umbel.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Black; Red/Burgundy
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
1/3 inch red, glossy ovoid fruits are usually sparsely produced and mature to a black color.
Bark color
Dark Gray; Light Brown
Bark detail
Single trunk, copper with lenticles, gray plates exfoliating as it ages.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Green
Stem detail
Long, thin, weeping unbranched stems.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Japan
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Summer
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Lawn; Pond
Landscape theme
Asian Garden; Water Garden
Design feature
Border; Flowering Tree; Small groups; Specimen
Garden tags
#flowering tree #heat tolerant #compaction tolerant #showy flowers #flowers early spring #light pink flowers #pendulous #fast growing #fantz #black fruits #red fruits #dry soils tolerant #problem for dogs #problem for horses #problem for cats #weeping #cpp #poor soil tolerant
Problems & Resistance
Problems
Problem for Cats; Problem for Dogs; Problem for Horses