Floral characteristics of the Taquet’s cherry tree at the Catholic Archdiocese of Daegu

The cherry trees planted on the grounds of the Catholic Archdiocese of Daegu have played a central role in discussions about the origin of the King cherry. Taquet, who collected the type specimen of Prunus × nudiflora, may have transplanted these trees to Daegu after completing his service on Jejudo Island. However, previous molecular studies aimed at determining their taxonomic identity have produced conflicting results. Our examination of floral traits in the Prunus collections at the Daegu Diocesan Office revealed that the trees possess glabrous styles, a feature inconsistent with both P. × nudiflora and P. × yedoensis, which bear soft, spreading hairs on the style. The bud scales of the Taquet cherry tree are densely pubescent, and the flowers are borne in a corymbose inflorescence. These findings suggest that the Taquet’s cherry tree and those in the vicinity of the Catholic Archdiocese of Daegu likely represent an unclassified cherry lineage, and that further comparative molecular and morphological investigations are therefore necessary.