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almond, almond tree, amandier, sweet almond

desert plum, Mojave desert plum

Habit Trees, not suckering, 50–80 dm, not thorny. Shrubs, suckering unknown, much branched, 10–25 dm, weakly thorny.
Twigs

with terminal end buds, glabrous.

with axillary end buds, canescent.

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.

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

1–5 mm, glabrous.

0–3 mm, puberulent.

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.

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

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

mesocarps leathery (splitting);

stones ellipsoid, strongly flattened, pitted.

yellowish orange, obovoid to ovoid, 9–16 mm, velutinous;

mesocarps leathery to dry;

stones subglobose to ovoid, slightly flattened.

2n

= 16.

Prunus dulcis

Prunus eremophila

Phenology Flowering Feb–Mar; fruiting Jul–Sep. Flowering Mar–Apr; fruiting May–Jun.
Habitat Roadsides, canyons, grasslands Desert washes, rocky slopes
Elevation 20–500 m (100–1600 ft) 900–1200 m (3000–3900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; WA; w Asia; n Africa [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[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.)

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. 372. FNA vol. 9, p. 371.
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. caroliniana, P. cerasifera, P. cerasus, P. domestica, P. dulcis, P. emarginata, 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
Name authority (Miller) D. A. Webb: Feddes Repert. 74: 24. (1967) Prigge: Madroño 49: 285, figs. 1, 2. (2003)
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