Prunus fremontii |
Prunus tomentosa |
|
---|---|---|
desert apricot |
Manchu cherry, Nanking cherry |
|
Habit | Shrubs, suckering unknown, much branched, 10–40 dm, thorny. | Shrubs, not suckering, 10–20 dm, not thorny. |
Twigs | with axillary end buds, glabrous. |
with terminal end buds, densely hairy. |
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 2–7 mm, hairy, eglandular; blade obovate to oblong-elliptic, 3–6(–7.5) × 1.7–3.5(–4.7) cm, base obtuse to rounded, margins coarsely, singly to doubly serrate, teeth sharp, usually eglandular, sometimes glandular, glands dark, spheric, apex abruptly short-acuminate to acute, abaxial surface tomentose, adaxial rugose, hairy, sometimes sparsely so. |
Inflorescences | 1–3-flowered, umbellate fascicles. |
usually solitary flowers, sometimes 2-flowered fascicles. |
Pedicels | 2–12 mm, glabrous. |
0–5 mm, hairy. |
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 before or at leaf emergence; hypanthium tubular, 3.5–6 mm, glabrous or sparsely hairy (especially at bases) externally; sepals spreading, ovate, 2.5–3.5 mm, margins serrate, sometimes glandular, abaxial surface hairy, adaxial glabrous; petals white to pale pink (pink in bud), obovate or elliptic to suborbiculate, 9–13 mm; ovaries glabrous proximally, villous distally. |
Drupes | yellowish, ellipsoid-ovoid, 8–15 mm, densely puberulent; mesocarps leathery to dry (splitting); stones ovoid, ± flattened. |
red, globose, 8–15 mm, sparsely hairy; mesocarps fleshy; stones ellipsoid, not flattened. |
2n | = 16. |
|
Prunus fremontii |
Prunus tomentosa |
|
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, fencerows, vacant lots, riparian woods |
Elevation | 200–1500 m (700–4900 ft) | 50–500 m (200–1600 ft) |
Distribution |
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
|
IA; IL; MD; MI; MN; NE; NY; OH; PA; SD; UT; MB; ON; SK; Asia [Introduced in North America] |
Discussion | Prunus fremontii is known only from the western edge of the Sonoran Desert. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Prunus tomentosa is cultivated as a landscape plant in hedges and as a background shrub because of its spreading habit and pale pink to white petals. It produces edible fruits that are said to make excellent jelly and juice. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 9, p. 373. | FNA vol. 9, p. 372. |
Parent taxa | Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Amygdaleae > Prunus | Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Amygdaleae > Prunus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | P. eriogyna | |
Name authority | S. Watson: in W. H. Brewer et al., Bot. California 2: 442. (1880) | Thunberg: in J. A. Murray, Syst. Veg. ed. 14, 464. (1784) |
Web links |