The difference between cherry and plum trees

Our city is in bloom. 

Yes, but: The pink blossoms you’re seeing aren’t necessarily what you think.

• They’re more likely flowering plum trees.
• Or maybe the Okame. Which, yes, technically is a cherry tree species, but not the kind we most associate with peak bloom in D.C.

Be smart: You can tell the difference between plum and cherry trees by checking their trunks or petals.

• Cherry trees have rings of horizontal pockmarks, like raised scars, around their trunks. Plum trees do not.
• A cherry blossom’s petals are slightly serrated. Plum petals are smooth all around.

Blossom check: Plum and Okame trees do tend to bloom a bit earlier than the Yoshinos lining the Tidal Basin, says National Park Service arborist Matthew Morrison.

• But they don’t usually bloom this early, says A.J. Orlikoff, director of public engagement at the Congressional Cemetery, which is home to a splendid collection.

The bottom line: Your allergies may say otherwise, but the Yoshino blossoms are still a few weeks away.