Tree 11

Prunus sargentii ‘Princeton Snowcloud’

Prunus sargentii is a vase-shaped tree with shiny chestnut-colored bark marked with the many horizonal lenticles that are characteristic of cherries. This genus was named after Charles Sprague Sargent, a horticulturalist and plant hunter. This Sargent cherry was planted on Arbor Day in 2009.

The ‘Princeton Snowcloud’ Sargent Cherry was patented by Princeton Nurseries in 1999 by William Flemer III. The patent describes a new and distinct Prunus plant characterized by having a very vigorous growth, being one third larger than sibling seedlings in the same row, and for its very abundant, large white flowers, unusual in the species which normally bears pink flowers. The autumn foliage turns a brilliant red color in late October. It is the most cold hardy of the white Japanese cherry trees. The Sargent Cherry trees in the arboretum have shown a tendency to be rubbed by deer during the rut.