Prunus japonica

9.4

A small woody bush from East Asia that has white or pale pink flowers and small red fruit

noun

Specialized

: ciruelo japonés

The Prunus japonica is often planted in gardens for its beautiful spring flowers.

Examples

In late summer, the Prunus japonica produces small, bright red fruit.
Horticulturists prize Prunus japonica for its compact size and ornamental value.
The Prunus japonica blooms beautifully in the spring.
Have you seen the Prunus japonica in the garden?
Horticulturists prize Prunus japonica for its compact size and ornamental value.
In late summer, the Prunus japonica produces small, bright red fruit.
The Prunus japonica is often planted in gardens for its beautiful spring flowers.

Synonyms

oriental bush cherry

vsPrunus japonica

Specialized

8.9

A small woody plant from East Asia grown for smooth red fruit and pale pink or white flowers

is the scientific name used for the same plant

Surface Forms

Prunus japonica singular

Prunus japonicas plural

Morphology

Prunus + japonica

This is a botanical binomial combining the genus name 'Prunus' (a group of trees/shrubs) with the species epithet 'japonica' (indicating a Japanese/ornamental form), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it denotes a type of Prunus shrub with ornamental blossoms. The genus+epithet pattern is a transparent, cross-linguistic naming convention, making the overall meaning derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Prunus japonica comes from two parts: Prunus is the old word for 'plum' or 'cherry' trees and japonica means 'from Japan'. So the name gives a simple picture of a small plum-like shrub from Japan, which helps you remember its white or pale pink flowers and bright red fruit.