Okame

Okame is small ornamental cherry tree, featuring a mass of pretty shell-pink single flowers. It is one of the earliest to come into flower, in late February or early March.

In autumn the leaves take on strong autumn tints.

The tree grows with an upright habit, spreading somewhat as it matures. It remains small, and is likely to reach a mature height of 2.5m or so.

Okame is unusual amongst the flowering cherries in that it often produces a crop of small dark cherries - not palatable for humans, but useful for birds.

History

Okame was developed by the English flowering cherry enthusiast Captain Collingwood Ingram (known to his friends as "Cherry" Ingram).  It is a hybrid of Prunus incisa (the Fuji cherry) and Prunus campanulata (the Formosan cherry). It inherits the former's compact proportions, hardiness and excellent autumn leaf colours, and the attractive early-flowering shell pink blossom of the latter.

Okame characteristics

• Gardening skillBeginner
• PruningLight prune
• Country of originUnited Kingdom
• Period of origin1900 - 1949
• Fruit colourRed / Black

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