A new flowering cherry tree hybrid traces its lineage back to the 3,000 trees Japan gave to the United States in 1912. It was created at the National Arboretum, a U.S. Department of Agriculture facility in Washington, by crossing a Yoshino with another variety. The Yoshino is a clone of one of the original trees.
Why create hybrids? Because cherry trees have a narrow genetic base, they may be more vulnerable to attack by insects or disease. Crossing them with species not often grown in America can create stronger, more resistant trees.
The genetic lineage of the original trees is also being protected. About 400 new trees have been propagated from the survivors of the original cherry trees. Last year, 120 of these propagates were sent to Japan.
The new cherry tree is named the “Helen Taft” after the wife of President William Taft. She and Viscountess Iwa Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador to the United States at the time, planted the first two cherry trees at the Tidal Basin on March 27, 1912.
Why create hybrids? Because cherry trees have a narrow genetic base, they may be more vulnerable to attack by insects or disease. Crossing them with species not often grown in America can create stronger, more resistant trees.
The genetic lineage of the original trees is also being protected. About 400 new trees have been propagated from the survivors of the original cherry trees. Last year, 120 of these propagates were sent to Japan.
The new cherry tree is named the “Helen Taft” after the wife of President William Taft. She and Viscountess Iwa Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador to the United States at the time, planted the first two cherry trees at the Tidal Basin on March 27, 1912.
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