The most popular kind of Japanese cherry (sakura) tree which can be found everywhere in Japan is somei-yoshino (Yedoensis). Sakura trees bloom at different times throughout Japan, and the blooming period of somei-yoshino is usually short.
Cherry blossom festivals take place all over the country. Most of them are held between March to May, though other regions have them in January, February, and June, based on their location. Festival dates are usually determined with reference to cherry blossom forecasts and vary from year to year.
According to the current forecasts, the cherry blossoms are expected to open according to their average schedule or slightly delayed in 2012. The blossoms are forecast to start opening across wide areas of Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu in late March and reach full bloom in early April.
There are several characteristics differentiating the many cherry tree varieties. Some of the obvious ones, that can also be easily recognized by beginners, are listed below:
Number of petals
Most wild trees, but also a lot of cultivated tree varieties, have blossoms with five petals. However, some species have blossoms which consist of ten, twenty or more petals. Trees with blossoms of more than five petals are called yaezakura.
 5 petals (e.g. Somei Yoshino) |  about 20 petals (e.g. Ichiyo) |  about 100 petals (e.g. Kikuzakura) |
Color of the blossoms
Most varieties produce light pink to white blossoms, but there are also cherry trees with dark pink, yellow or green blossoms. Furthermore, the color of some varieties' cherry blossoms may change while they are in bloom. For example, a blossom may open as a white flower and change color to pink over the course of a few days.
 white blossoms (e.g. Shogetsu) |  pink blossoms (e.g. Kanzan) |  yellow blossoms (e.g. Ukon) |
The fresh leaves
In case of early blooming trees, the fresh leaves usually do not appear until after full bloom, which gives the trees an attractive, homogeneous look while they are in full bloom. In case of later blooming trees, the leaves usually appear before the blossoms, giving the trees a more heterogeneous look. Furthermore, the color of the fresh leaves differs between the varieties. In most cases, the fresh leaves are green, coppery brown, or something in between.
Time of blooming
Most cherry tree varieties carry blossoms in spring. Yaezakura, i.e. cherry trees with blossoms of more than five petals, are typically the last ones to open their blossoms, with blooming periods about two to four weeks after most five-petaled species. Some extreme varieties bloom in late autumn and during the winter months. Read more aboutwhen cherry trees are in bloom.
Form of the tree
Cherry trees display various growing habits and come in different shapes and forms: triangular, columnar, V-shape, weeping, flat-topped, etc. Weeping cherry trees are called shidarezakura.
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