<p>After orbiting the Earth for eight months on board the International Space Station (ISS), a cherry pit was brought back to Earth and planted. After only four years of growth, the cherry tree has blossomed with some very interesting flowers.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Cherry trees typically take at least 10 years to bear their first buds, but this tree has flowered a full four years early. Standing 4 meters tall, this young tree has produced nine flowers, according to Japan Daily Press. The blooms were also very unusual, with only 5 petals instead of those on the parent tree, which had about 30.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/space_cherries_body_01.jpg" alt="Cropped Images Apr 9th 2014" /><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The cherry pit was one of about 265 which were sent to the ISS in 2008 with Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata. The early-flowering cherry tree was sprouted from a pit taken from the famous 1,250 year old Chujohimeseigan-zakura cherry tree in the compound of an ancient Ganjoji temple. This was a variety of the yamazakura wild cherry species. All previous attempts to grow a sapling from its fruit were unsuccessful.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/space_cherries_body_02.jpg" alt="Cropped Images Apr 9th 2014" /><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"We are amazed to see how fast it has grown," Masahiro Kajita, chief priest at the temple. "A stone from the original tree had never sprouted before. We are very happy because it will succeed the old tree, which is said to be 1,250 years old."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">In addition to this special cherry tree, four other pits that went into orbit have also been planted in Japan and have been reported to have come into bloom as well.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><iframe width="500" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/8ylULV6GZ1Y?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Scientists have been unable to explain this anomalous growth behavior. They are puzzled by the effects of orbiting the earth, and one possible explanation is that an increased exposure to cosmic rays or the zero gravity environment may have had an effect.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"We still cannot rule out the possibility that it has been somewhat influenced by its exposure to the space environment," said Kaori Tomita-Yokotani, a researcher at the University of Tsukuba in the Kantō region of Japan.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Will this turn out to be the future of fruit production? If all we have to do in order to get early-flowering fruit trees is to orbit their pits in space, this might prove to be an expensive new augmentation. However, if these same effects could be duplicated artificially here on earth, this might prove to be a practical and viable way to accelerate cherry production.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
