陽春三月，最適合去公園裡賞櫻花。但不是每個國家的人都可以有幸看到櫻花美景。關於櫻花，你了解多少?
1. YOU'LL ONLY FIND CHERRY BLOSSOMS IN A HANDFUL OF COUNTRIES.
只有為數不多的幾個國家有櫻花
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.」 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.
櫻花在日本名叫sakura，以吉野和京都的櫻花最為著名。每年春天，遊客都會蜂擁到日本，參加有數百年歷史的賞花會。不過，看櫻花不用飛到日本去。在美國的華盛頓、紐約、費城、聖路易斯、西雅圖、舊金山、波士頓的櫻花美景都各有特色。歐洲和亞洲的許多國家，還有南半球的巴西和澳洲，都可以看到櫻花。
2. THE CHERRY BLOSSOM CAPITAL OF THE WORLD IS IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA.
「世界櫻花之都」在美國喬治亞州
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 350,000 Yoshino cherry trees, while Washington, D.C. has fewer than 4000 trees.
信不信由你，美國喬治亞州中部的梅肯市被譽為「世界櫻花之都」，至少美國國會記錄是這麼顯示的。梅肯市有35萬棵吉野櫻樹，而華盛頓特區的櫻樹還不到4000棵。
3. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF CHERRY TREE VARIETIES.
櫻樹有幾百個品種
Japan in particular is home to hundreds of types of cherry tree—possibly more than 600, by more liberal estimates. Some types bear fruit, while others don’t. 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 28 petals on each flower, compared to the Yoshino tree’s five petals.
日本擁有幾百個品種的櫻樹，據樂觀的估計，可能有600多種。有些櫻樹能結果，有些不能。許多櫻樹在不同的開花階段顏色會從深粉變成淡粉再變成白色，而其他一些櫻樹的花則會從黃綠色變成白色再變成粉色。有一種關山櫻能開「兩重花」，每朵花花瓣多達28個，而吉野櫻樹的花只有五個花瓣。
4. THEY DON'T BLOOM FOR LONG.
櫻花花期很短
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.
一顆櫻樹的花期只有一到兩周。但是，櫻花顏色最美的時間只有三天，所以如果你是去外地賞櫻，最好能把握住時機。賞櫻的最佳時間取決於多種因素，包括地點、溫度和日照。
5. CLIMATE CHANGE COULD BE MAKING THEM BLOSSOM EARLIER.
氣候變化會讓櫻花更早盛開
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 2080 we could expect to see cherry blossoms in D.C. as early as February.
一些學者指出，隨著全球變暖，櫻樹開花的時間越來越早。研究這一現象的華盛頓大學生態生理學家金秀賢博士說，到2080年，櫻花可能會提早至二月份盛開。