Climate In Jayawijaya Suitable For Sakura Cultivation

JAKARTA, July 17 (Antara) - Climate in Jayawijaya may be suitable for cultivation of cherry blossom, or commonly known in Japan as sakura. Hence, the the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) is making every effort to expand cherry blossom, the typical Japanese plant, in Biological Garden of Wamena in Jayawijaya District, Papua Province. A cherry blossom (sakura) is the flower of any of several trees of genus Prunus serrulata, which is widely distributed, especially in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. Many of the sakura varieties have been cultivated elsewhere for ornamental use, and therefore, LIPI is trying to develop in Wamena, according to Soekarno, a LIPI researcher who is also assistant of the Biological Garden of Wamena. In the Jayawijaya district town of Wamena, Soekarno remarked on Sunday that Sakura flower cultivation aims only to introduce the people of Papua with this typical plant from Japan. For the Japanese, Sakura is a sacred plant and when it blossoms, it is a delight to behold. In the spring over a hundred thousand tourists come from every corner of the world to Japan to admire the famous cherry blossom. Cultivation of sakura in Papua is expected to succeed well, and if this happens, then Indonesian tourists no longer need to go all the way to Japan, but to Wamena instead to enjoy the beauty of the flower. As Japan is made up of a series of islands with different climatic conditions, the flowering period for Sakura can last for two full months. In Japan, the first flower buds begin to open in the middle of March on the Southern part of Kyushu and the last buds are finished by the middle of May on Hokkaido Island. The most important purpose of sakura in Japan in ancient times was its honored function in relation to the moon calendar. Sakura in bloom means it is time for planting rice. Sakura was also a symbol of purity because its petals fell not wilted, but fresh and tender. The assistant of the Biological Garden of Wamena, Soekarno, remarked that the cultivation of sakura is still through the nursery process and 50 percent has germinated. According to him, they do the seed propagation outside Papua and then take it to Wamena to be cultivated. "Some types of sakura that we bring to cultivate in Wamena are more directed to ornamental plants that are not invasive," Soekarno explained