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desert apricot

cerisier acide, cultivated sour cherry, pie cherry, sour cherry

Habit Shrubs, suckering unknown, much branched, 10–40 dm, thorny. Shrubs or trees, suckering, 30–50(–80) 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 10–24 mm, glabrous, usually eglandular, sometimes with discoid marginal glands at bases of blades;

blade broadly elliptic to ovate or obovate, 4.4–6(–8) × 2.8–4(–6) cm, base obtuse to rounded, margins doubly crenate-serrate, teeth blunt, glandular, apex acute to abruptly acuminate, abaxial surface glabrous or glabrate, adaxial glabrous.

Inflorescences

1–3-flowered, umbellate fascicles.

1–4-flowered, umbellate fascicles.

Pedicels

2–12 mm, glabrous.

8–37 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-campanulate, 4–6 mm, glabrous externally;

sepals reflexed, oblong, 4–7 mm, margins regularly glandular-toothed, surfaces glabrous;

petals white, suborbiculate, 10–14 mm;

ovaries glabrous.

Drupes

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

mesocarps leathery to dry (splitting);

stones ovoid, ± flattened.

bright red, globose, 13–20 mm, glabrous;

mesocarps fleshy;

stones subglobose, not flattened.

2n

= 32.

Prunus fremontii

Prunus cerasus

Phenology Flowering Jan–Mar; fruiting Apr–Jun. Flowering Apr–May; fruiting Jun–Jul.
Habitat Dry, sandy or rocky slopes, canyons, desert, chaparral, pinyon-juniper woodlands Roadsides, thickets, woodland borders, abandoned fields
Elevation 200–1500 m (700–4900 ft) 0–1000 m (0–3300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CA; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; MT; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; VA; VT; WA; WV; BC; NB; NS; ON; PE; QC; 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 cerasus with doubled flowers are used as landscape ornamentals. Most of the commercial sour cherry crop in North America comes from Michigan. Unlike sweet cherry, all widely grown varieties of sour cherry are self-fertile. Bud scales at the bases of the pedicels on flowering and immature fruiting specimens of P. cerasus often have leaflike apices and the inner scales are erect; in P. avium the scales are not leaflike and the inner ones are reflexed or spreading.

(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. avium, P. caroliniana, P. cerasifera, 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
Name authority S. Watson: in W. H. Brewer et al., Bot. California 2: 442. (1880) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 474. (1753)
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