Prunus maritima |
Rosaceae subfam. amygdaloideae |
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beach plum |
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Habit | Shrubs, suckering, 10–25 dm, not thorny. | Shrubs or trees, sometimes subshrubs or herbs. |
Twigs | with axillary end buds, densely hairy to glabrate. |
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Leaves | deciduous; petiole 3–11 mm, usually densely hairy, rarely hairy only on adaxial surface, usually eglandular, sometimes glandular distally, glands 1–2, discoid; blade elliptic, broadly elliptic, or obovate (orbiculate in gravesii clone), 3.5–7 × 2–4 cm, base cuneate to obtuse (rounded in gravesii clone), margins finely, usually singly, rarely doubly, serrulate, teeth sharp, usually eglandular, rarely glandular, apex acute to obtuse (rounded in gravesii clone), abaxial surface usually hairy, sometimes only on veins or glabrescent, adaxial rugose, glabrous. |
alternate, sometimes opposite, simple, sometimes pinnately compound; stipules present or absent. |
Inflorescences | 2–4-flowered, umbellate fascicles. |
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Pedicels | 5–15 mm, hairy. |
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Flowers | blooming before leaf emergence; hypanthium campanulate, 2.5–3.5 mm, hairy externally; sepals erect to spreading, ovate, 1.5–3.5 mm, margins entire, sometimes 2-fid at apices, ciliate, surfaces hairy; petals white, oblong-obovate, 3–8 mm; ovaries glabrous. |
torus absent or minute; carpels 1–5(–8), distinct or +/- connate (Maleae), free or +/- adnate to hypanthium (many Maleae), styles distinct or +/- connate (some Maleae); ovules (1 or)2(–5+), collateral, clustered, or biseriate. |
Fruits | follicles aggregated or not, capsules, drupes aggregated or not, aggregated drupelets, pomes, or aggregated nutlets, rarely achenes or aggregated achenes; styles persistent or deciduous, not elongate (elongate in Gillenieae). |
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Drupes | red, yellow, dark blue, or purplish black, glaucous, globose, 11–18 mm, glabrous; mesocarps fleshy; stones ovoid, slightly flattened. |
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x | = 8, 9, 15, 17. |
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2n | = 16. |
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Prunus maritima |
Rosaceae subfam. amygdaloideae |
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Phenology | Flowering Apr–Jun; fruiting Aug–Oct. | |
Habitat | Sand dunes, beaches, sandy fields, roadsides, coastal barrens | |
Elevation | 0–30 m (0–100 ft) | |
Distribution |
CT; DE; MA; MD; ME; NH; NJ; NY; PA; RI; VA
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HI; North America; Mexico; Central America; South America; Europe; Asia; Africa; Atlantic Islands (Madeira); Australia |
Discussion | Prunus gravesii has been known from only a single locality since its description in 1897, and there may never have been more than a single, multistemmed individual. G. J. Anderson (1980) concluded that it is a mutant derivative of P. maritima. In the study by Anderson, it differed with statistical significance from other specimens of P. maritima for only 4 of 38 morphological features measured, and even for those four the range in values between the two taxa overlapped. Their leaf flavonoid chromatograms were identical. From a conservation standpoint it is of value to designate the orbiculate-leaved gravesii clone as a distinct taxonomic variety, for which the name P. maritima var. gravesii (Small) G. J. Anderson is available. Once listed by the state of Connecticut as endangered, it is now believed to be extinct in the wild. Throughout much of its original range P. maritima is threatened by oceanside development. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Cyanogenic glycosides are usually present in Amygdaloideae; sorbitol is present. The name Amygdaloideae Arnott (1832) has priority over Spiraeoideae Arnott (1832), used by D. Potter et al. (2007), because Amygdalaceae (1820) is an earlier conserved name. Tribes 9, genera 55, species ca. 1300 (9 tribes, 38 genera, 361 species, including 20 hybrids, in the flora) (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 9, p. 380. | FNA vol. 9, p. 345. |
Parent taxa | Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Amygdaleae > Prunus | Rosaceae |
Sibling taxa | ||
Subordinate taxa | ||
Synonyms | P. gravesii, P. maritima var. gravesii | |
Name authority | Marshall: Arbust. Amer., 112. (1785) | Arnott: Botany, 107. (1832) |
Web links |