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almond, almond tree, amandier, sweet almond

Carolina cherry laurel or laurel cherry, Carolina laurelcherry, laurier amande

Habit Trees, not suckering, 50–80 dm, not thorny. Shrubs or trees, not suckering, 40–120 dm, not thorny.
Twigs

with terminal end buds, glabrous.

with terminal end buds, glabrous.

Leaves

deciduous;

petiole (8–)10–25 mm, usually winged distally, glabrous, usually glandular distally or on margins at bases of blades;

blade oblong to lanceolate, 2.5–10 × 1–3 cm, base obtuse, margins crenulate-serrulate to crenate-serrate, teeth blunt, glandular, apex acuminate, surfaces glabrous.

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

1–5 mm, glabrous.

1–4 mm, glabrous.

Flowers

blooming before leaf emergence;

hypanthium cupulate, 4–7 mm, glabrous externally;

sepals erect-spreading to spreading, oblong-ovate, 4–8 mm, margins entire, tomentose, surfaces glabrous;

petals pink to nearly white, obovate, elliptic, or suborbiculate, 12–25 mm;

ovaries hairy.

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

gray-green, ovoid-oblong, compressed, 25–40 mm, velutinous;

mesocarps leathery (splitting);

stones ellipsoid, strongly flattened, pitted.

black, ovoid, 9–12 mm, glabrous;

mesocarps leathery;

stones ovoid, not flattened, usually splitting open.

2n

= 16.

= 32.

Prunus dulcis

Prunus caroliniana

Phenology Flowering Feb–Mar; fruiting Jul–Sep. Flowering Feb–Apr; fruiting May–Nov.
Habitat Roadsides, canyons, grasslands Stream bottoms, thickets, wooded uplands, maritime forests, naturalizing in urban woodlands
Elevation 20–500 m (100–1600 ft) 0–200 m (0–700 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; WA; w Asia; n Africa [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The United States now dominates world almond production with over 40% of the annual crop, all of it grown in or near the Central Valley of California. The in-shell “nuts” sold in stores are the pits of drupes with the leathery mesocarp removed. Almond is among the earliest blossoming trees and one of the first signs of spring in areas where it is grown.

(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. 372. FNA vol. 9, p. 361.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Amygdaleae > Prunus Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Amygdaleae > Prunus
Sibling taxa
P. americana, P. andersonii, P. angustifolia, P. armeniaca, P. avium, P. caroliniana, P. cerasifera, P. cerasus, P. domestica, 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. 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
Synonyms Amygdalus dulcis, A. communis, P. amygdalus Padus caroliniana, Lauro-cerasus caroliniana
Name authority (Miller) D. A. Webb: Feddes Repert. 74: 24. (1967) (Miller) Aiton: Hort. Kew. 2: 163. (1789)
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