Prunus domestica |
Prunus caroliniana |
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common garden plum, cultivated plum, European plum, prunier damas |
Carolina cherry laurel or laurel cherry, Carolina laurelcherry, laurier amande |
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Habit | Shrubs or trees, sometimes suckering, 20–60(–100) dm, not or slightly thorny. | Shrubs or trees, not suckering, 40–120 dm, not thorny. |
Twigs | with axillary end buds, usually hairy, sometimes glabrous. |
with terminal end buds, glabrous. |
Leaves | deciduous; petiole 6–20 mm, glabrous or hairy on adaxial surface or both surfaces, eglandular or glandular distally or on margins at bases of blades, glands 1–3; blade elliptic to obovate, (2.5–)4–7(–9) × 1.5–5 cm, base cuneate to obtuse, margins singly to doubly crenate-serrate, teeth blunt, glandular, apex usually acute to abruptly acuminate, sometimes obtuse, abaxial surface hairy (especially along veins), adaxial glabrous or midribs hairy. |
persistent; petiole 5–8 mm, glabrous, eglandular; blade narrowly elliptic to elliptic or oblanceolate, 5–10 × 1.5–4 cm, base cuneate to obtuse, margins entire or spinose-serrate, sometimes undulate, teeth sharp, eglandular, apex usually acute to short-acuminate, sometimes obtuse-apiculate, apicula acute, surfaces glabrous, abaxial glandular, glands 2, proximal, flat, circular to oval. |
Inflorescences | solitary flowers or 2-flowered fascicles. |
12–30-flowered, racemes; central axes 13–30(–43) mm, leafless at bases. |
Pedicels | (2–)10–20 mm, glabrous or hairy. |
1–4 mm, glabrous. |
Flowers | blooming before or at leaf emergence; hypanthium cupulate, 3–5 mm, glabrous externally; sepals spreading to reflexed, ovate-elliptic to lanceolate, 3.5–6 mm, margins glandular-toothed, ciliate, surfaces glabrous or hairy; petals white, oblong to suborbiculate, 7–14 mm; ovaries glabrous. |
usually bisexual, proximal sometimes staminate, blooming before leaf emergence; hypanthium cupulate, 2.5–3 mm, glabrous externally; sepals spreading, semicircular, 0.5–1 mm, margins usually entire, sometimes glandular-toothed, surfaces glabrous; petals white, suborbiculate to elliptic, 1–1.5 mm; ovaries glabrous. |
Drupes | blue-black (green, yellow, or red in cultivars), ellipsoid to globose, 15–35 mm, glabrous; mesocarps fleshy; stones ovoid to ellipsoid, strongly flattened. |
black, ovoid, 9–12 mm, glabrous; mesocarps leathery; stones ovoid, not flattened, usually splitting open. |
2n | = 48. |
= 32. |
Prunus domestica |
Prunus caroliniana |
|
Phenology | Flowering Apr–May; fruiting Aug–Sep. | Flowering Feb–Apr; fruiting May–Nov. |
Habitat | Roadsides, fencerows, abandoned homesites | Stream bottoms, thickets, wooded uplands, maritime forests, naturalizing in urban woodlands |
Elevation | 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft) | 0–200 m (0–700 ft) |
Distribution |
CA; CT; DE; ID; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; NH; NJ; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; UT; VA; VT; WA; NB; NS; ON; QC; Eurasia [Introduced in North America]
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AL; AR; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX
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Discussion | The distinctions given in the literature between Prunus domestica and P. insititia, and which cultivated varieties are derived from each of them, are contradictory and confusing. After examining plants from North America, it seems best to treat these Eurasian introductions as one variable species without designation of infraspecific taxa. European plums are grown along the West Coast, primarily in California, for prunes and other processed food. They are also grown in the Great Lakes region of Ontario, Michigan, and New York for both prunes and the local fresh market. Most of the commercial fresh plum market is supplied by fruits of the Japanese plum, Prunus salicina, and its hybrid derivatives, which include genetic material from native American species, for example, P. americana, P. angustifolia, and P. hortulana. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Prunus caroliniana is a popular ornamental for screens and trimmed hedges and is widely planted in the southeastern United States because of its lustrous, dark green foliage persistent through the seasons. The species was probably common as a native plant on the southeastern barrier islands; most inland occurrences represent escapes from cultivation. It rarely escapes from cultivation in California. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 9, p. 376. | FNA vol. 9, p. 361. |
Parent taxa | Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Amygdaleae > Prunus | Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Amygdaleae > Prunus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | P. domestica subsp. insititia, P. domestica var. insititia, P. insititia | Padus caroliniana, Lauro-cerasus caroliniana |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 475. (1753) | (Miller) Aiton: Hort. Kew. 2: 163. (1789) |
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