Japanese Flowering Apricots at the USDA Experiment Station in Greenbelt, MD
Four of the trees on the east side of the field have a wonderful cinnamon/redhots candy scent to the flowers. The other ten trees were not fragrant. If buying Japanese Flowering Apricot trees, try to get a fragrant cultivar if you can, as the fragrance is unusual and wonderful at the same time.
The National Arboretum knew that these trees were cold hardy before that they planted them. Eighteen Japanese Apricot trees were originally planted at this location to conserve these cultivars so that they will not be lost to history.
Anyone that would like to propagate these trees from cuttings or by collecting scion wood should contact Kevin Conrad, Curator, Woody Landscape Plant Germplasm Repository Floral and Nursery Plants Research Unit U.S. National Arboretum, 10300 Baltimore Ave., Building 010A Rm 233, Beltsville, MD 20705, Kevin.Conrad@ARS.USDA.GOV
photo album by Sam Bahr, horticulturist
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot (Prunus mume 'Okitsu-akabana') in bloom. This appeared to have the largest flowers of any of the ten cultivars in this field and was the latest flowering as it still had a number of closed flower buds on it. However, it did not appear to have near as many flowers on it as some of the smaller flowered cultivars. This is one of two trees of this same cultivar in this field.
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot (Prunus mume 'Okitsu-akabana') in bloom. This appeared to have the largest flowers of any of the ten cultivars in this field and was the latest flowering as it still had a number of closed flower buds on it. However, it did not appear to have near as many flowers on it as some of the smaller flowered cultivars. This is one of two trees of this same cultivar in this field.
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot (Prunus mume 'Okitsu-akabana') in bloom. This appeared to have the largest flowers of any of the ten cultivars in this field and was the latest flowering as it still had a number of closed flower buds on it. However, it did not appear to have near as many flowers on it as some of the smaller flowered cultivars. This is one of two trees of this same cultivar in this field.
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot (Prunus mume 'Okitsu-akabana') in bloom. This appeared to have the largest flowers of any of the ten cultivars in this field and was the latest flowering as it still had a number of closed flower buds on it. However, it did not appear to have near as many flowers on it as some of the smaller flowered cultivars. This is one of two trees of this same cultivar in this field.
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot (Prunus mume 'Okitsu-akabana') in bloom. This appeared to have the largest flowers of any of the ten cultivars in this field and was the latest flowering as it still had a number of closed flower buds on it. However, it did not appear to have near as many flowers on it as some of the smaller flowered cultivars. This is one of two trees of this same cultivar in this field.
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot (Prunus mume 'Okitsu-akabana') in bloom. This appeared to have the largest flowers of any of the ten cultivars in this field and was the latest flowering as it still had a number of closed flower buds on it. However, it did not appear to have near as many flowers on it as some of the smaller flowered cultivars. This is one of two trees of this same cultivar in this field.
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot (Prunus mume 'Okitsu-akabana') in bloom. This appeared to have the largest flowers of any of the ten cultivars in this field and was the latest flowering as it still had a number of closed flower buds on it. However, it did not appear to have near as many flowers on it as some of the smaller flowered cultivars. This is one of two trees of this same cultivar in this field.
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot (Prunus mume 'Okitsu-akabana') in bloom. This appeared to have the largest flowers of any of the ten cultivars in this field and was the latest flowering as it still had a number of closed flower buds on it. However, it did not appear to have near as many flowers on it as some of the smaller flowered cultivars. This is one of two trees of this same cultivar in this field.
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot (Prunus mume 'Okitsu-akabana') in bloom. This appeared to have the largest flowers of any of the ten cultivars in this field and was the latest flowering as it still had a number of closed flower buds on it. However, it did not appear to have near as many flowers on it as some of the smaller flowered cultivars. This is one of two trees of this same cultivar in this field.
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot (Prunus mume 'Okitsu-akabana') in bloom. This appeared to have the largest flowers of any of the ten cultivars in this field and was the latest flowering as it still had a number of closed flower buds on it. However, it did not appear to have near as many flowers on it as some of the smaller flowered cultivars. This is one of two trees of this same cultivar in this field.
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot (Prunus mume 'Okitsu-akabana') in bloom. This appeared to have the largest flowers of any of the ten cultivars in this field and was the latest flowering as it still had a number of closed flower buds on it. However, it did not appear to have near as many flowers on it as some of the smaller flowered cultivars. This is one of two trees of this same cultivar in this field.
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot (Prunus mume 'Okitsu-akabana') in bloom. This appeared to have the largest flowers of any of the ten cultivars in this field and was the latest flowering as it still had a number of closed flower buds on it. However, it did not appear to have near as many flowers on it as some of the smaller flowered cultivars. This is one of two trees of this same cultivar in this field.
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot (Prunus mume 'Okitsu-akabana') in bloom. This appeared to have the largest flowers of any of the ten cultivars in this field and was the latest flowering as it still had a number of closed flower buds on it. However, it did not appear to have near as many flowers on it as some of the smaller flowered cultivars. This is one of two trees of this same cultivar in this field.
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot
'Okitsu-akabana' Japanese Flowering Apricot (Prunus mume 'Okitsu-akabana') in bloom. This appeared to have the largest flowers of any of the ten cultivars in this field and was the latest flowering as it still had a number of closed flower buds on it. However, it did not appear to have near as many flowers on it as some of the smaller flowered cultivars. This is one of two trees of this same cultivar in this field.
