Tree sponsorship Association of Friends and Sponsors of TU Dresden Yoshino cherry

The Association of Friends and Sponsors of TU Dresden demonstrates its close ties to the university by sponsoring a newly planted tree in front of the TU Dresden Rectorate Building. 

This deciduous tree grows to a height of between five and eight meters. It only begins to appear tree-like with age. The Japanese cherry flowers very early in the year. The white blossoms open as early as March/April, unfolding their splendor.  During the cherry blossom festival in its East Asian homeland, it transforms streets, squares and gardens into a sea of white blossoms.

For the Japanese, the cherry blossom (jap. sakura) has been the quintessence of blossoms for centuries. The delicacy and simple fragrance of the blossoms symbolize purity and simplicity – traditional values of Japanese culture.

In the fall, the leaves of the Japanese cherry turn a vibrant yellow/orange to red. Only in very favorable locations, it develops small, pea-sized black fruits. Although a non-native, wild form, the shrub is an important food source and habitat for bees, butterflies and caterpillars.