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amazing facts about cherry blossoms

阳春三月，最适合去公园里赏樱花。但不是每个国家的人都可以有幸看到樱花美景。关于樱花，你了解多少？

1. YOU'LL ONLY FIND CHERRY BLOSSOMS

IN A HANDFUL OF COUNTRIES.

只有为数不多的几个国家有樱花

Called sakura in Japan, the cherry blossoms of Yoshino and Kyoto are world-famous. Tourists flock to the country each spring to try their hand at a centuries-old activity called hanami, or “flower viewing.”

樱花在日本名叫sakura，以吉野和京都的樱花最为著名。每年春天，游客都会蜂拥到日本，参加有数百年历史的赏花会。

You don’t have to fly to Japan to see them, though. In the US, the cherry blossoms of Washington, D.C., New York City, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Seattle, San Francisco, and Boston are all beautiful in their own way. The flowers can also be viewed in many European and Asian countries, as well as Brazil and Australia in the southern hemisphere.

不过，看樱花不用飞到日本去。在美国的华盛顿、纽约、费城、圣路易斯、西雅图、旧金山、波士顿的樱花美景都各有特色。欧洲和亚洲的许多国家，还有南半球的巴西和澳洲，都可以看到樱花。

2. THE CHERRY BLOSSOM CAPITAL OF THE WORLD

IS IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA.

“世界樱花之都”在美国乔治亚州

Believe it or not, the city of Macon in central Georgia is recognized as the “Cherry Blossom Capital of the World”—at least according to US Congressional records. It’s home to , Yoshino cherry trees, while Washington, D.C. has fewer than trees.

信不信由你，美国乔治亚州中部的梅肯市被誉为“世界樱花之都”，至少美国国会记录是这么显示的。梅肯市有万棵吉野樱树，而华盛顿特区的樱树还不到棵。

3. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF CHERRY TREE VARIETIES.

樱树有几百个品种

Japan in particular is home to hundreds of types of cherry tree—possibly more than , by more liberal estimates. Some types bear fruit, while others don't.

日本拥有几百个品种的樱树，据乐观的估计，可能有多种。有些樱树能结果，有些不能。

The flowers of many trees change from dark pink to light pink to white throughout the different stages of blossoming, while others progress from greenish yellow to white to pink. One variety, called Kanzan, was bred to have “double blossoms”—or up to petals on each flower, compared to the Yoshino tree’s five petals.

许多樱树在不同的开花阶段颜色会从深粉变成淡粉再变成白色，而其他一些樱树的花则会从黄绿色变成白色再变成粉色。有一种关山樱能开“两重花”，每朵花花瓣多达个，而吉野樱树的花只有五个花瓣。

4. THEY DON'T BLOOM FOR LONG.

樱花花期很短

A cherry tree might only remain in bloom for one to two weeks. However, they only keep up their “peak color” for about three days, so it’s best to time your trip wisely if you’re visiting a cherry blossom destination from out of town. The timing depends on a number of factors, including location, heat, and daylight.

一颗樱树的花期只有一到两周。但是，樱花颜色最美的时间只有三天，所以如果你是去外地赏樱，最好能把握住时机。赏樱的最佳时间取决于多种因素，包括地点、温度和日照。

5. CLIMATE CHANGE COULD BE

MAKING THEM BLOSSOM EARLIER.

气候变化会让樱花更早盛开

Some scholars have suggested that the trees are blooming earlier and earlier as the planet gradually gets warmer. Dr. Soo-Hyung Kim, an ecophysiologist at the University of Washington who has studied the phenomenon, says that by we could expect to see cherry blossoms in D.C. as early as February.

一些学者指出，随着全球变暖，樱树开花的时间越来越早。研究这一现象的华盛顿大学生态生理学家金秀贤博士说，到年，樱花可能会提早至二月份盛开。

6. YOU CAN GET ARRESTED FOR

PLUCKING A CHERRY BLOSSOM IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

在华盛顿摘樱花会被警察抓起来

Resist the urge to take a cherry blossom home with you as a souvenir. In D.C. at least, breaking off a blossom or branch is viewed as vandalism of federal property.

克制住把樱花当成纪念品带回家的冲动吧，至少在华盛顿特区要谨记。在那里，摘樱花或折樱树枝被视为破坏联邦财产。

Those who break this rule could receive a citation, or worse, be arrested. It goes without saying that it’s also illegal to climb the trees. If they sustain damage to their branches, they will never be able to grow new blossoms on that particular bough again.

违反这条规定的人将收到法院传票甚至被捕。不用说，爬樱树也是违法的。如果在爬树途中损坏了树枝，那么这个枝头就再也开不出花来了。

vandalism['vaendlzm]: n. 故意毁坏文物的行为；破坏他人财产的行为

citation[sa'ten]: n. [法] 传票

7. THE VERY FIRST CHERRY TREES TO ARRIVE IN AMERICA

WERE A COMPLETE DISASTER.

运到美国的第一批樱树惨不忍睹

In , Japan offered to send cherry trees to America as a symbol of friendship between the two countries. Despite the good intentions, the execution was disastrous. When the trees arrived in D.C. in January , the trees were weak—due to overpruning of their roots—and they were also infested with wood-boring insects. Despite attempts to save them, the trees were ultimately thrown in a pile and burned.

年，日本提出运送棵樱树到美国，这些樱树象征两国间的友谊。尽管意图是良好的，但执行起来却是一团糟。这些樱树在年1月到达华盛顿时，都因为根部过度修剪并感染了木材钻孔虫而奄奄一息。尽管已经试过挽救它们，最后这些树还是堆起来烧掉了。

Everyone was pretty embarrassed about the whole ordeal, but Tokyo mayor Yukio Ozaki made a joke to ease some of the tension. “To be honest about it, it has been an American tradition to destroy cherry trees ever since your first president, George Washington," he said. "So there’s nothing to worry about. In fact, you should be feeling proud.”

大家对这件糟心事都觉得挺尴尬，不过东京市长尾崎行雄开了个玩笑来缓解紧张气氛。“老实说，毁掉樱树是从你们第一任总统乔治·华盛顿那里流传下来的美国传统，所以没什么好烦心的。事实上，你们还应该感到骄傲。”

(Washington's cherry tree story turned out to be untrue) Another shipment of trees was sent, and by , the healthy trees were successfully planted in D.C. by then-First Lady Helen Taft.

（华盛顿砍樱树的故事后来被证实是假的）后来日本又运了一批樱树到美国，到年，当时的美国第一夫人海伦·塔夫脱成功种下了这些健康的樱树。

8. THE CHERRY TREES IN ONE DUTCH MUNICIPALITY

HAVE PROPER NAMES.

荷兰某市的樱树有专有名字

Located in the largest park in the Netherlands, all cherry blossom trees have proper names. Half of them have traditional Dutch women’s names, and the other half have Japanese women’s names. The Japan Women’s Club gifted the trees in , and you can now find them at Amsterdamse Bos (Amsterdam Forest) in the Amstelveen municipality.

荷兰最大公园中的棵樱树都有自己的名字。一半樱树有传统的荷兰女性名字，另外一半樱树是日本女性的名字。这些树是日本女子俱乐部在年赠予荷兰的，现在可以在阿姆斯特尔芬的阿姆斯特丹森林看到它们。

9. BOTH THE BLOSSOMS AND LEAVES

ARE EDIBLE.

樱树的花和叶都是可食用的

In Japan, no part of the cherry blossom tree goes to waste. The preserved leaves are used as edible mochi wrappers (a rice cake filled with sweet bean paste), and a number of seasonal snacks feature sakura as a key ingredient. Sakura-infused versions of Pepsi, Coke, tea, and even Starbucks lattes are all popular drinks. You can also find Kit Kats and Pocky snack sticks that taste like sakura.

在日本，樱树的所有部位都不会被浪费。浸泡过的樱树叶被用来包日本糯米团（一种豆沙馅年糕），很多时令小吃也都用樱花来做重要配料。加入樱花的百事可乐、可口可乐、茶甚至星巴克拿铁咖啡都是人气饮料。还有樱花口味的奇巧饼干和百奇饼干棒。

mochi['mk]: n. 糯米团（用糯米粉做的糕团）

. THEY WERE THE INSPIRATION BEHIND

A RECORD-SETTING LEGO SCULPTURE.

樱花是创纪录的乐高雕塑的灵感来源

LEGOLAND Japan, a theme park in Nagoya, set a Guinness World Record in for the largest LEGO brick cherry blossom tree ever made. The tree stood feet tall, weighed over pounds, and consisted of more than , LEGO bricks.

年，位于名古屋的日本乐高主题乐园推出了有史以来最大的乐高樱花树，创下了吉尼斯世界纪录。这棵“树”高达英尺（4米），重量超磅（千克），由超万块乐高积木组成。

英文来源：Mental Floss

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