Hello everyone and welcome inside Japan. Japan is full of natural beauty. This beauty can be seen during most of the year. In the fall, the leaves change colors. In the winter, there's snow in many areas. But there's one season that Japan is very famous for and it's the spring. This is because of the cherry blossoms. Since cherry blossoms are so well known, this causes many people to often mistake plum blossoms for cherry blossoms. In this video, we are going to cover the basic differences between cherry blossoms and plum blossoms. Please keep in mind that these are generalizations for these trees in Japan and that there are over 200 types of basic classifications for cherry blossoms and 300 types for plum blossoms worldwide. At first glance, it's very easy to mistake plum blossoms for cherry blossoms. But when looking at the details, these two trees are very different. The confusion first starts with the colors of the petals. Plum blossoms have colors ranging from dark red petals to white petals. Cherry blossom petals fall into that color spectrum with colors ranging from dark pink to white. Since both flowers are roughly the same size, it's easy to see how they can be mistaken for one another. Also, since the blooming seasons are close to each other, it can cause even more confusion. Blum blossoms bloom first, starting in February, depending on the location. Cherry blossoms start blooming in most places, from the end of March to early April. Continually to look at the petals, the differences start to emerge. The petals on the plum blossoms do not have the small split at the end of the petals like cherry blossoms do. Plum blossoms have a more rounded feel. The shape of the whole flower is also different. Plum blossoms are very rounded, whereas cherry blossoms are more of a star shape. The buds are very similar to the flowers. The buds of the plum blossoms are round and the buds of the cherry blossoms are more of an oval shape. The differences can also be seen in the trees themselves. The leaves on the plum trees can be green like cherry trees, but for the most part they have a reddish purple color to them. When it comes to the bark, cherry trees have a light gray color to them with lines, while plum trees have a smoother look and are darker. The last difference isn't something that can be seen. The scent of the plum blossoms and cherry blossoms are also different. Even though cherry blossoms have a nice light smell to them, plum blossoms are known for their sweet flowery scent. Hopefully you found this video informative and we hope to see you next time. This was Inside Japan and thank you for watching.