Prunus japonica

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Common products:
Edible products made from P. japonica fruits include jams, jellies, preserves, sauces, syrups, and confectionery. The fruit is also processed into the Korean liqueur maesil-ju (maesil-cheong syrup used for fermentation or non-alcoholic mixing) and less commonly into maesil-cha (fruit pieces or sweetened concentrate for non-alcoholic beverages). These products are based on sweet–sour fruit varieties and commercial pectin or acidification strategies rather than medicinal use.

Food and beverages (non-medicinal):
Food uses center on fresh or brined fruit for syrups and jams, and on large-scale production of maesil-cheong, a sugar-fruit conserve or syrup used as a food ingredient and sweetener, leading to alcoholic maesil-ju via controlled fermentation. Large-scale processing typically involves acidification (citric acid), pectin addition for texture, and heat treatment for stability.

Colorants and tanning:
Although not a primary commercial dye plant, P. japonica bark and stones contain tannins (gallotannins and ellagitannins) and phenolics, which have been studied for natural brown dyes on protein fibers and as tanning agents in leather processing. These uses remain niche and are not widely standardized for industrial tannin supply.

Wood and fiber:
The wood is dense and fine-grained, suitable for small turnery and ornamental objects; it does not supply a major commercial timber. The kernel fat (prunus kernel oil) is not a recognized food or cosmetic oil due to cyanogenic glycosides and has no established industrial use.

Fragrance and cosmetics:
No documented fragrance or cosmetic applications are reported for P. japonica.

Properties relevant to use:
Fruits are high in acidity and soluble solids, enabling stable syrups and preserves; they exhibit relatively high pectin content supporting jams. Bark and stones contain tannins (gallotannins/ellagitannins) with potential tanning and dyeing utility. Kernel lipids contain cyanogenic glycosides, precluding culinary or cosmetic use and limiting industrial extraction.

Scientific/model-organism use:
P. japonica serves as a genetic and physiological model within Prunus research for flowering time, cold hardiness, fruit ripening, and breeding of ornamental and edible forms; genetic studies and horticultural research databases list it among the East Asian cherry-plum group for comparative genomics and trait mapping.

Standards and regulation:
Food uses of the fruit comply with national food additive and processing standards (for example, Japan’s Food Sanitation Act and general food sanitation norms for heat treatment and labeling). Kernel materials are controlled under general restrictions on cyanogenic plant products; no dedicated ISO/ASTM standards exist for P. japonica fruit or bark tanning agents.

Sustainability and sourcing:
Cultivation occurs across Korea, Japan, and China on smallholder and semi-commercial orchard systems. Fruit supply is often local or regional for syrups and liqueurs; availability and varietal selection vary by season. Tannin-related bark use, where practiced, is minor and generally opportunistic rather than plantation-driven.

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No distribution data was extracted from POWO/KEW yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.

No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.

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