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The "Izayoi-zakura" (Prunus jamasakura cv. Hiemalis) belongs to Rosaceae (the Rose family). It is a tall deciduous tree that is a horticultural variety of the "Yama-zakura". It is believed to be a crossbreed between the "Yama-zakura" (Prunus jamasakura) and the "Cambridge cherry" (Prunus pseudocerasus). It blooms early, around the 16th day of the first lunar month (February 15), which is also the origin of its Japanese name. The flowers are five-petaled, pale reddish-white and wrinkled. The calyx tube is cup-shaped and wrinkled. The Meiji-era haiku poet Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902) once wrote, "Uso no yo na, izayoi sakura sakini keri" (The Izayoi cherry blossoms are blooming like you would not believe.) and It was also known abroad through Koizumi Yakumo's "Kwaidan" (ghost stories).
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