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desert apricot

cerisier des oiseaux, sweet cherry, wild cherry

Habit Shrubs, suckering unknown, much branched, 10–40 dm, thorny. Trees, not suckering, 60–200 dm, not thorny.
Twigs

with axillary end buds, glabrous.

with terminal end buds, glabrous.

Leaves

deciduous;

petiole 1–7 mm, glabrous, eglandular;

blade elliptic, ovate, or suborbiculate, 0.6–3 × 0.5–2 cm, base obtuse to rounded, subcordate, or truncate, margins obscurely crenulate, crenulate-serrulate, or serrate, teeth blunt, glandular, apex usually obtuse to rounded, sometimes emarginate, surfaces glabrous.

deciduous;

petiole (14–)20–40 mm, nearly glabrous or sparsely hairy adaxially, glandular distally or on margins at bases of blades, glands 1–3, discoid;

blade oblong, elliptic-obovate, or obovate, (4–)7–14 × (2.5–)4–8.5 cm, base obtuse to rounded, margins doubly crenate-serrate, teeth blunt, glandular, apex abruptly short-acuminate, abaxial surface moderately hairy (especially midribs and veins), adaxial glabrous.

Inflorescences

1–3-flowered, umbellate fascicles.

1–3-flowered, umbellate fascicles.

Pedicels

2–12 mm, glabrous.

(14–)25–52 mm, glabrous.

Flowers

blooming at leaf emergence;

hypanthium campanulate, 2–4 mm, glabrous externally;

sepals erect-spreading, semicircular to ovate, 1.2–4 mm, margins glandular-toothed, ciliate, abaxial surface glabrous, adaxial hairy;

petals usually white, sometimes pinkish rose, elliptic, obovate, or suborbiculate, 3–10 mm;

ovaries hairy.

blooming at leaf emergence;

hypanthium tubular-urceolate, 5–7 mm, glabrous externally;

sepals reflexed, oblong, 4–6 mm, margins entire or sparsely and irregularly toothed, surfaces glabrous;

petals white, obovate to suborbiculate, 12–15 mm;

ovaries glabrous.

Drupes

yellowish, ellipsoid-ovoid, 8–15 mm, densely puberulent;

mesocarps leathery to dry (splitting);

stones ovoid, ± flattened.

dark red to purplish black, globose, 13–30 mm, glabrous;

mesocarps fleshy;

stones subglobose, not flattened.

2n

= 16.

Prunus fremontii

Prunus avium

Phenology Flowering Jan–Mar; fruiting Apr–Jun. Flowering Mar–May; fruiting Jun–Jul.
Habitat Dry, sandy or rocky slopes, canyons, desert, chaparral, pinyon-juniper woodlands Roadsides, stream banks, forest edges, disturbed forests
Elevation 200–1500 m (700–4900 ft) 0–1600 m (0–5200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CT; DC; DE; ID; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; UT; VA; WA; WV; WY; BC; NB; NS; ON; Eurasia [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Prunus fremontii is known only from the western edge of the Sonoran Desert.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Cultivars of Prunus avium are grown in North America both for their attractive flowers, especially where the Japanese ornamental cherries are not hardy, and for their sweet fruits. Most of the sweet cherry crop in North America is grown in the Pacific Coast states and in Michigan and Ontario. Most varieties are self-incompatible and require pollen from a variety in a different incompatibility group in order to set fruits.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 373. FNA vol. 9, p. 368.
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. dulcis, P. emarginata, P. eremophila, P. fasciculata, 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. 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. pumila, P. rivularis, P. serotina, P. speciosa, P. spinosa, P. subcordata, P. subhirtella, P. texana, P. tomentosa, P. umbellata, P. virginiana, P. yedoensis
Synonyms P. eriogyna P. cerasus var. avium
Name authority S. Watson: in W. H. Brewer et al., Bot. California 2: 442. (1880) (Linnaeus) Linnaeus: Fl. Suec. ed. 2, 165. (1755)
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