8 April 2024
Quiz: Can you name that blossom?
Do you know your cherries from your hawthorns? It’s time to test your knowledge!
Spring is in full bloom and we love to see our gardens coming back to life. It’s time to find out how well you know your blossom trees!
Click to reveal each answer.
1. Which tree beloved in China and Japan produces these pink, white and red blossoms?
A: Plum blossom
B: Cherry
Plum blossom (Prunus mume)
Along with cherry blossoms, plum blossoms are a famous sign of spring in China, Korea and Japan, and they’re the national flower of Taiwan.
They have a sweet scent, flowering in early spring before their leaves arrive, and their petals can be red, pink or white depending on the variety (there are more than 300). Plum blossoms have no notches in the ends of their petals and the flowers grow straight off the branch.
It looks like a cherry and the name sounds like a European plum (Prunus domestica), but the plum blossom tree is actually a type of apricot. The flowers and fruits are made into sauces, liquor, wine, tea and pickles.
Find them at Kew Gardens in the Rock Garden.
2. What kind of tasty fruit will these blooms turn into?
A: Cherry
B: Apple
Apple (Malus domestica)
You can identify apple blossoms by their faint scent and pink buds that open to reveal white petals. They grow in clusters and the leaves usually come out at the same time as the blossoms, around March.
At Kew Gardens you can find apple trees blooming south of the Temperate House and in the Kitchen Garden.
3. These blossoms don’t have much scent, although they look fantastic. What are they?
A: Cherry
B: Cherry plum
Cherry (Prunus sp.)
Cherry blossoms have notches at the end of each petal and hang in clusters from long stems. Unlike the plum blossom tree (Prunus mume), they have little to no scent. The flowers come out before the leaves, beginning in March and ending in May depending on the variety.
Cherry trees bred for their blossom, like the Japanese cherry (Prunus serrulata) usually don’t produce fruit that can be eaten raw – it’s bitter and mostly seed.
Cherry blossom is the national flower of Japan. Japanese cherry blossom festivals, known as sakura matsuri, are becoming popular all over the world as a way to reconnect with nature and welcome spring.
The best places to see Japanese cherry trees flowering at Kew Gardens are behind the Rose Garden and along Cherry Walk, leading from the Rose Garden past the Mediterranean Garden to the Temperate House.
4. On what kind of tree would you see these big, bold flowers open in February and March?
A: Magnolia
B: Cherry plum
Magnolia (Magnolia sp.)
Native to China and regions nearby, magnolias are a UK garden favourite for their eye-catching flowers in early spring. The blooms can be pink, white or yellow and they can grow up to 35cm wide. These early bloomers are late bloomers, too: magnolia trees don’t flower until they’re 20 years old.
Magnolia buds can be pickled and eaten – just remember to only harvest them if you have permission.
You can find magnolias in the Magnolia Glade and along Princess Walk near Elizabeth Gate at Kew Gardens.
5. Native to the UK, this woodland beauty blooms in late spring and has a strong fishy smell. Is it:
A: Blackthorn
B: Hawthorn
Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
These two UK native trees look very similar, but there are a few easy ways to tell hawthorn apart from blackthorn.
One clue is in the hawthorn’s nickname, ‘May tree’ - it blooms in May while blackthorn blooms in March. Hawthorn leaves come out before the flowers, while the blackthorn flowers before putting out leaves. Finally, hawthorn petals are round while blackthorn petals are oval-shaped.
Hawthorn is beloved by birds and insects for its flowers and edible fruit, or haws.
You can find hawthorns in the Natural Area at Kew Gardens or in your local hedgerows.
6. You’ll see these white blossoms in hedgerows and woods around March. Which of them is an introduced cherry plum and which is a native blackthorn?
A: Number 1 is a blackthorn, number 2 is a cherry plum
B: Number 1 is a cherry plum, number 2 is a blackthorn
Number 1 is a cherry plum, number 2 is a blackthorn!
To tell blackthorn blossoms apart from cherry plums, look at the sepals on the backs of the flowers: these are the small green petal-shaped parts that enclose the bud and support the flower. They're bent backwards on cherry plum blossoms, but not on blackthorns.
Cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera)
Native to southeast Europe and western Asia, cherry plums are common throughout the UK’s parks and woodlands. It’s an ancestor of the cultivated European plum – the kind of plums we buy in the supermarket.
Their flowers are usually white, but some varieties are pink with red or purple leaves. You can eat cherry plums, but they might be quite sour; they can make lovely jams, sauces, wines and liquors too.
You can find cherry plums south of the Temperate House and next to the Hive at Kew Gardens.
Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)
Blackthorn blossom is one of the first signs of spring in the UK and Europe. It’s in the Prunus genus, closely related to the cherry plum as well as cherries, plums and other stonefruit. Blackthorn flowers open before the leaves and have oval-shaped petals.
Blackthorn is an important source of pollen and nectar for bees in early spring. It’s also called sloe and its black berries make a delicious flavouring for gin.
Blackthorns grow in woods and hedgerows throughout the UK and you can find them in Kew’s Natural Area.
How did you do?
1-2: You’re a budding nature lover.
2-4: Your flower knowledge is blossoming.
5-6: You’re a blooming expert!
