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albaricoque, apricot, damasco, Siberian apricot

cherry-laurel, common cherry laurel, hedge cherry laurel, laurel cherry

Habit Trees, not suckering, 50–100 dm, not thorny. Shrubs or trees, sometimes suckering, 20–60(–100) dm, not thorny.
Twigs

with axillary end buds, glabrous.

with terminal end buds, glabrous.

Leaves

deciduous;

petiole (12–)20–45 mm, glabrous, glandular distally or on margins at bases of blades, glands 1–5;

blade broadly ovate to suborbiculate, (3–)5–9 × (2–)4–8 cm, base usually obtuse to rounded, sometimes truncate or subcordate, margins singly to doubly crenate-serrate, teeth blunt, glandular, apex abruptly short-acuminate, abaxial surface with tufts of hairs in vein axils, adaxial glabrous.

persistent;

petiole 5–15 mm, glabrous, eglandular;

blade elliptic to obovate, 6–18 × 3–7 cm, base cuneate to obtuse, margins remotely serrulate or nearly entire, teeth blunt, glandular, apex abruptly short-acuminate, apicula acute, surfaces glabrous, abaxial glandular, glands 1–several, proximal, flat, circular to oval.

Inflorescences

solitary flowers.

26–32-flowered, racemes;

central axes (35–)55–130 mm, leafless at bases.

Pedicels

1–3 mm, hairy.

1–5 mm, glabrous.

Flowers

blooming before leaf emergence;

hypanthium tubular-campanulate, 4–6 mm, glabrous or sparsely hairy externally;

sepals reflexed, oblong-ovate, 4–6 mm, margins remotely glandular-toothed, surfaces sparsely hairy;

petals white (pink in bud), broadly elliptic to suborbiculate, 8–12 mm;

ovaries hairy.

blooming before leaf emergence;

hypanthium cupulate, 3–4 mm, glabrous externally;

sepals spreading, triangular, 0.7–1.2 mm, margins usually entire, sometimes with deciduous glands, ciliate in spots, surfaces glabrous or hairy;

petals white, obovate or broadly elliptic to suborbiculate, 3–5 mm;

ovaries glabrous.

Drupes

yellow to orange, often tinged with red, ellipsoid to globose, laterally compressed, 25–60 mm, velutinous;

mesocarps fleshy;

stones ellipsoid to subglobose, strongly flattened, not pitted.

deep purple-red to nearly black, ovoid to conic-ovoid, 13–17 mm, glabrous;

mesocarps fleshy to leathery;

stones ovoid, not flattened.

2n

= 16.

Prunus armeniaca

Prunus laurocerasus

Phenology Flowering Mar–Apr; fruiting May–Jul. Flowering Mar–May; fruiting Aug–Nov.
Habitat Roadsides, abandoned plantings Riparian thickets, shaded ravines, understory of urban and second-growth forests
Elevation 20–1600 m (100–5200 ft) 0–600 m (0–2000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; CO; IA; ID; KS; MI; MO; MT; NM; OR; PA; UT; VA; WA; Asia (China) [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC; Eurasia [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Commercial production of apricots in North America is in the western United States, mostly in the San Joaquin Valley of California. There is little market for fresh apricots because of their extremely short shelf life; most fruits are preserved by drying.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Flowering specimens of Prunus laurocerasus with small leaves and entire margins that otherwise resemble P. caroliniana can be identified by their larger hypanthia and longer petals. In fruit, the stone is much harder in P. laurocerasus and does not split open upon drying; the flesh around the stone is thicker and more succulent.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 375. FNA vol. 9, p. 362.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Amygdaleae > Prunus Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Amygdaleae > Prunus
Sibling taxa
P. americana, P. andersonii, P. angustifolia, P. avium, P. caroliniana, P. cerasifera, P. cerasus, P. domestica, P. dulcis, P. emarginata, P. eremophila, P. fasciculata, P. fremontii, P. geniculata, P. glandulosa, P. gracilis, P. havardii, P. hortulana, P. ilicifolia, P. laurocerasus, P. lusitanica, P. mahaleb, P. maritima, P. mexicana, P. minutiflora, P. murrayana, P. myrtifolia, P. nigra, P. padus, P. pensylvanica, P. persica, P. pumila, P. rivularis, P. serotina, P. speciosa, P. spinosa, P. subcordata, P. subhirtella, P. texana, P. tomentosa, P. umbellata, P. virginiana, P. yedoensis
P. americana, P. andersonii, P. angustifolia, P. armeniaca, P. avium, P. caroliniana, P. cerasifera, P. cerasus, P. domestica, P. dulcis, P. emarginata, P. eremophila, P. fasciculata, P. fremontii, P. geniculata, P. glandulosa, P. gracilis, P. havardii, P. hortulana, P. ilicifolia, P. lusitanica, P. mahaleb, P. maritima, P. mexicana, P. minutiflora, P. murrayana, P. myrtifolia, P. nigra, P. padus, P. pensylvanica, P. persica, P. pumila, P. rivularis, P. serotina, P. speciosa, P. spinosa, P. subcordata, P. subhirtella, P. texana, P. tomentosa, P. umbellata, P. virginiana, P. yedoensis
Synonyms Armeniaca vulgaris
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 474. (1753) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 474. (1753)
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