‘Ichihara-tora-no-o’ (Ichihara tiger tail). This rare Sato-zakura (Japanese village cherry) is a small tree with a spreading, open crown with numerous, short, upright spurs. The fluffy, double white flowers open in mid-April, to about 3.5 cm across, from pink buds. They are borne in compact clusters together with sheaves of bronze-tinted leaves on the spur-like branches. The overall effect is unusually crowded, but not unattractive. Discovered in the village of Ichihara (near Kyoto) and named in the early part of the 20th century, the cultivar is probably much older. The tightly clothed branches with alternating flowers and leaves is the basis for the name.
