Prunus domestica |
Prunus eremophila |
|
---|---|---|
common garden plum, cultivated plum, European plum, prunier damas |
desert plum, Mojave desert plum |
|
Habit | Shrubs or trees, sometimes suckering, 20–60(–100) dm, not or slightly thorny. | Shrubs, suckering unknown, much branched, 10–25 dm, weakly thorny. |
Twigs | with axillary end buds, usually hairy, sometimes glabrous. |
with axillary end buds, canescent. |
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. |
deciduous; petiole 0.5–3(–5) mm, hairy, eglandular; blade ovate, obovate, or spatulate, 0.5–2(–3) × 0.2–1(–2) cm, base cuneate to obtuse, margins irregularly serrate, teeth usually sharp, eglandular, sometimes blunt, obscurely glandular, apex obtuse to rounded, often mucronate, surfaces hairy. |
Inflorescences | solitary flowers or 2-flowered fascicles. |
solitary flowers or 2-flowered fascicles. |
Pedicels | (2–)10–20 mm, glabrous or hairy. |
0–3 mm, puberulent. |
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. |
unisexual, plants dioecious, blooming at leaf emergence; hypanthium campanulate, 2–4 mm, hairy externally; sepals erect, triangular, 1–2 mm, margins entire, sparsely ciliate, abaxial surface densely hairy, adaxial glabrous or slightly hairy; petals white, elliptic, rhombic, ovate, or suborbiculate, 2.5–6 mm, abaxial surfaces hairy; ovaries hairy. |
Drupes | blue-black (green, yellow, or red in cultivars), ellipsoid to globose, 15–35 mm, glabrous; mesocarps fleshy; stones ovoid to ellipsoid, strongly flattened. |
yellowish orange, obovoid to ovoid, 9–16 mm, velutinous; mesocarps leathery to dry; stones subglobose to ovoid, slightly flattened. |
2n | = 48. |
|
Prunus domestica |
Prunus eremophila |
|
Phenology | Flowering Apr–May; fruiting Aug–Sep. | Flowering Mar–Apr; fruiting May–Jun. |
Habitat | Roadsides, fencerows, abandoned homesites | Desert washes, rocky slopes |
Elevation | 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft) | 900–1200 m (3000–3900 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]
|
CA |
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.) |
Of conservation concern. Prunus eremophila is endemic to the southern Mojave Desert and has so far been collected only from the East Mojave Natural Preserve in eastern San Bernardino County. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 9, p. 376. | FNA vol. 9, p. 371. |
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 | |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 475. (1753) | Prigge: Madroño 49: 285, figs. 1, 2. (2003) |
Web links |
|