Prunus dulcis |
Prunus eremophila |
|
---|---|---|
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 |
CA; ID; WA; w Asia; n Africa [Introduced in North America]
|
CA |
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 | ||
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) |
Web links |
|