Kwanzan cherry trees have a rounded, dense crown that spreads with age, making a mature Kwanzan cherry tree wider than it is tall. Its bark is shiny maroon with horizontal pairs of small openings (lenticels), which are especially visible during the winter months. Kwanzan cherry leaves are oblong, 3-6 in long with toothed margins, a leathery dark green appearance on top and paler coloring underneath. Kwanzan cherry trees produce deep pink flowers in clusters of two to five together in spring at the same time as the new leaves appear. They are fruitless.

The Kwanzan cherry, named after a mountain in Japan, is native to Japan, Korea and China. It is featured in many spring cherry blossom displays and festivals including the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. These Japanese cherry trees were given as a gift from Tokyo to the city of Washington in 1913.