(そめいよしの)

そめいよしの
noun
Somei-Yoshino cherry
plant-tree
1. Somei-Yoshino cherry tree
The most common variety of cherry blossom tree in Japan (Prunus × yedoensis). Produces pale pink to white flowers and accounts for roughly 80% of cherry trees in Japan.
染井吉野(そめいよしの)満開(まんかい)だ。
The Somei-Yoshino cherries are in full bloom.
Cherry blossom forecasts are based on Somei-Yoshino trees.
Somei-Yoshino is said to be a variety that originated in Somei village in Tokyo in the late Edo period.

Name origin

染井(そめい) refers to 染井村(そめいむら), a village in what is now 豊島区(としまく)駒込(こまごめ), 東京(とうきょう). 吉野(よしの) refers to 吉野山(よしのやま) in 奈良県(ならけん), historically famous for cherry blossoms. The variety was bred by nurseries in 染井村(そめいむら) and named after both locations.

Cultural note

染井吉野(そめいよしの) is the standard reference tree for Japan's (さくら)開花(かいか)予想(よそう) (cherry blossom forecast). When news reports say "the cherry blossoms have bloomed," they mean 染井吉野(そめいよしの) specifically. All trees of this variety are clones propagated by grafting, so they bloom almost simultaneously in any given area.

Common collocations