Prunus × nudiflora

King cherry is quite rare in number in its habitat. In 1908, a single tree was discovered in the north slope of Mt. Halla near Gwaneumsa Temple by Taquet although according to Koidzumi it was a different species. In 1932, Koidzumi discovered a single tree in the south slope of Mt.Halla. In 1962, the first Korean official plant resource survey team was established and found three trees. Next year in 1963, the team found another three trees. In 1965, Han Chang-yeol reported that wild cherry trees which grow in Mt. Halla in Jeju Island are mostly Prunus subhirtella var. pendula form. ascendens (Edo higan) and Prunus donarium (Yamazakura) and king cherry is rare in number, around 10 individuals, having been found in a half century. [Note 2] In 1998, Kim Chan-soo reported that 33 king cherry trees were found around Mt. Halla. From March 2015 to October 2016, Warm-Temperate and Subtropical Forest Research Center, Korea Forest Research Institute conducted a survey of king cherry on Mt. Halla. The center found 194 king cherry trees are growing in 173 locations. The trees are located at altitudes between 165 m and 853 m. The trees range 5–19 m in height, 15–145 cm in diameter and 15–265 year old. King cherry is morphologically similar to Yoshino cherry. …

As of 2017, most of the cherry trees planted in South Korea are Yoshino cherry trees known to have come from Japan or have been grafted from trees planted during the Japanese colonial period. In hopes to replace these trees with Korean native king cherry trees, efforts are undertaken to propagate the excellent varieties of king cherry. In 1996, the Timber Breeding Research Institute, former Warm-Temperate and Subtropical Forest Research Center planted 40 king cherry trees artificially bred by the tissue culturing. They bloomed in 2003 for the first time. The Warm-Temperate and Subtropical Forest Research Center has developed a conservation area of 90,000 m2 since 2000 and is now cultivating 3,000 king cherry trees. In April 2017, the center announced that it has developed 100,000 m2 of king cherry tree cultivation farm at Hannam Experimental Forest and planted 4,150 four to five year old king cherry trees. The center plans to expand the area to 250,000 m2 by 2022 and to cultivate a total of 20,000 king cherry trees.

In 1908, a French missionary Taquet discovered a native cherry in Jeju islands. In 1912, a German botanist Koehne gave it a scientific name of Prunus yedoensis var. nudiflora as it deserves to be a separate variety from Yoshino cherry according to the variations observed.[Note 1] Although this species called Eishu zakura is a variation of Yoshino cherry, from then it was misrepresented that Yoshino cherry was growing naturally in Jeju Island. In 1916, Ernest Henry Wilson examined a specimen of King Cherry. He wrote "As far as I could judge it is undoubtedly a state of P. yedoensis Matsumura, ... To me the evidence is inconclusive, and I do not think the last word on the origin or native country of P. yedoensis Matsumura has yet been heard." In 1932, Koidzumi discovered that Yoshino cherry (currently identified as king cherry) along with the cherry which was found by Taquet were growing naturally and reported that Yoshino cherry is originated on Jeju island. Also Koidzumi identified that Prunus yedoensis var. nudiflora which was found by Taquet and named by Koehne is an independent species from king cherry and named it Prunus nudiflora (Koehn) Koidz. nom. nov. (Eishu zakura)　which is a synonym of Prunus quelpaertensis Nakai (Tanna-yamazakura). …