Flora of North America species comparison

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Prunus dulcis

Prunus pumila

almond, almond tree, amandier, sweet almond

cerisier des sables, dwarf sand plum, sand cherry
Habit Trees, not suckering, 50–80 dm, not thorny. Shrubs, sometimes suckering, 1–15(–25) dm, not thorny.
Twigs

with terminal end buds, glabrous.

with terminal end buds, glabrous or sparsely to densely puberulent (var. susquehanae).
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 2–10(–13) mm, glabrous or hairy only when young, sometimes glandular distally or on margins at bases of blades, glands 1–2;

blade elliptic, oblanceolate, or obovate, 2.5–8 × 0.8–3 cm, base obtuse, cuneate, or long-attenuate, margins crenulate-serrulate to serrate in distal 1/2–2/3, teeth sharp or blunt, callus-tipped, sometimes glandular, apex short-acuminate to rounded, surfaces glabrous.
Inflorescences

solitary flowers or 2-flowered fascicles.

2–5-flowered, umbellate fascicles.
Pedicels

1–5 mm, glabrous.

3–19 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.

blooming before leaf emergence;

hypanthium campanulate, 1.7–3 mm, glabrous externally;

sepals erect to reflexed, semicircular, 1.3–2.8 mm, margins glandular-toothed, surfaces glabrous;

petals white, oblanceolate, oblong, or suborbiculate, 3–9 mm;

ovaries glabrous.
Drupes

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

mesocarps leathery (splitting);

stones ellipsoid, strongly flattened, pitted.

dark purple to nearly black, subglobose or broadly ellipsoid, 6–12 mm, glabrous;

mesocarps fleshy;

stones subglobose, ovoid, or fusiform, not flattened.
2n

= 16.

Prunus dulcis

Prunus pumila
Phenology Flowering Feb–Mar; fruiting Jul–Sep.
Habitat Roadsides, canyons, grasslands
Elevation 20–500 m (100–1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; WA; w Asia; n Africa [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AR; CO; CT; DE; IA; IL; IN; KS; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SD; TN; UT; VA; VT; WI; WV; WY; MB; NB; ON; QC; SK
[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.)

Varieties 4 (4 in the flora).

Opinion has varied as to whether Prunus pumila is best treated as one variable species (for example, H. Groh and H. A. Senn 1940; H. A. Gleason 1952; J. R. Rohrer 2000) or as two, three, or four separate species (for example, W. F. Wight 1915; M. L. Fernald 1923b; P. M. Catling et al. 1999). The plants vary in stem posture, twig indument, leaf shape, fruit size and taste, pit size and shape, and ecologic preference. Even though the morphologic characters show almost continuous variation, four varieties are recognized here based largely on differences in ecologic habitat and geographic range.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Twigs densely puberulent (10× magnification); leaf apices usually obtuse, sometimes acute or rounded, blade lengths ca. 2.6 times widths; sandy pine-oak woods or barrens with open canopy, or adjacent fields and lakeshores.
var. susquehanae
1. Twigs usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely puberulent; leaf apices short-acuminate, acute, or obtuse, blade lengths ca. 2.9–3.7 times widths; usually in open habitats
→ 2
2. Stems prostrate to decumbent; leaf blades oblanceolate, lengths ca. 3.7 times widths; stones ovoid to fusiform, 4.5–5 mm wide.
var. depressa
2. Stems usually erect-ascending, sometimes decumbent or sprawling; leaf blades elliptic, obovate, or oblanceolate, lengths ca. 2.9–3.3 times widths; stones subglobose to ovoid, 5–7 mm wide
→ 3
3. Leaf blades usually oblanceolate, lengths ca. 3.3 times widths; shores of the Great Lakes on sandy, gravelly, or rocky beaches, dunes, and interdunal flats.
var. pumila
3. Leaf blades elliptic, oblanceolate, or obovate, lengths ca. 2.9 times widths; sandy prairies, oak savannas, rock outcrops.
var. besseyi
Source FNA vol. 9, p. 372. FNA vol. 9, p. 373.
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. 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. rivularis, P. serotina, P. speciosa, P. spinosa, P. subcordata, P. subhirtella, P. texana, P. tomentosa, P. umbellata, P. virginiana, P. yedoensis
Subordinate taxa
P. pumila var. besseyi, P. pumila var. depressa, P. pumila var. pumila, P. pumila var. susquehanae
Synonyms Amygdalus dulcis, A. communis, P. amygdalus
Name authority (Miller) D. A. Webb: Feddes Repert. 74: 24. (1967) Linnaeus: Mant. Pl. 1: 75. (1767)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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