Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Washington, D.C. » National Arboretum » Floral and Nursery Plants Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #290036
Title: Interspecific hybridizations in ornamental flowering cherries (Prunus species)

Author
item Pooler, Margaret
item MA, HONGMEI - Former ARS Employee

Submitted to: Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/2/2013
Publication Date: 5/15/2013
Publication URL: https://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/56756
Citation: Pooler, M.R., Ma, H. 2013. Interspecific hybridizations in ornamental flowering cherries (Prunus species). Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science. 138(3):198-204.

Interpretive Summary: Flowering cherries belong to the genus Prunus L., consisting primarily of species native to Asia. Despite the popularity of ornamental cherry trees in the landscape, most ornamental Prunus planted in the U.S. are derived from a limited genetic base of Japanese flowering cherry taxa. A diverse collection of ornamental Prunus germplasm is maintained at the U.S. National Arboretum as part of an ongoing flowering cherry improvement program aimed at broadening the genetic base of cultivated ornamental cherries by developing new cultivars with disease and pest resistance, tolerance to environmental stresses, and superior ornamental characteristics. Controlled crosses carried out over the past 30 years have resulted in the creation of interspecific hybrids among many of these diverse taxa. We used molecular markers to verify 73 hybrids created from 20 parental taxa.

Technical Abstract: Flowering cherries belong to the genus Prunus L., consisting primarily of species native to Asia. Despite the popularity of ornamental cherry trees in the landscape, most ornamental Prunus planted in the U.S. are derived from a limited genetic base of Japanese flowering cherry taxa. Controlled crosses among flowering cherry species carried out over the past 30 years at the U.S. National Arboretum have resulted in the creation of interspecific hybrids among many of these diverse taxa. We used SSR markers to verify 73 of 84 putative hybrids created from 43 crosses representing 20 parental taxa. All verified hybrids were within the same section (Cerasus or Laurocerasus in the subgenus Cerasus) with no verified hybrids between sections.