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What Are These Bloomin' Trees?

Every February, many streetside trees in Berkeley and neighboring towns burst forth in luxuriant pinkish white blossoms. Some folks say they're plum, others say cherry. Can you tell us what they are?

Here's a question for any urban tree experts among our readers.

On many a block in Berkeley and neighboring cities this time of year you can see streetside trees decked out in their cheerful, pinkish white coats of small blossoms.

They bloom every February, faithful heralds of the coming spring.

What are they?

Some people say they're plum, and other people say cherry. A few say cherry plum or vice versa.

If you know, please tell us in the comments. Extra points for the Latin name!

Ellen February 26, 2013 at 01:19 pm
It's a flowering plum, or more specifically:
"Purple-leaf Flowering Plum—Prunus cerasifera ‘Krauter Vesuvius’ Height 15-28’, width 15-20. Known for its purple-black leaves, this tree offers a great contrast for any landscape. It has beautiful pale pink flowers in early spring and rarely produces fruit." It's been a popular street tree for years in the Bay Area. The purple leaves are a dead giveaway.

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ted friedman June 18, 2013 at 10:08 pm
The name is weirdly spelled, but not this weird. It's Caffe, not Caffee. I've only typed these wordsRead More a thousand times.