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Klamath plum, Oregon plum, Pacific plum, Sierra or Klamath or Pacific plume, Sierra plum, western plum

albaricoque, apricot, damasco, Siberian apricot

Habit Shrubs or trees, often suckering, 10–30(–60) dm, sometimes thorny. Trees, not suckering, 50–100 dm, not thorny.
Twigs

with axillary end buds, glabrous or hairy.

with axillary end buds, glabrous.

Leaves

deciduous;

petiole 4–18 mm, glabrous or hairy, usually glandular distally, glands 1–3, discoid;

blade elliptic, oblong-ovate, or suborbiculate, 2–5(–6.5) × 1.3–3.5(–4.5) cm, base rounded or subcordate, margins singly to doubly serrulate, teeth blunt, glandular, apex usually obtuse to rounded, rarely acute, abaxial surface glabrous or hairy, adaxial glabrous or appressed-hairy.

deciduous;

petiole (12–)20–45 mm, glabrous, glandular distally or on margins at bases of blades, glands 1–5;

blade broadly ovate to suborbiculate, (3–)5–9 × (2–)4–8 cm, base usually obtuse to rounded, sometimes truncate or subcordate, margins singly to doubly crenate-serrate, teeth blunt, glandular, apex abruptly short-acuminate, abaxial surface with tufts of hairs in vein axils, adaxial glabrous.

Inflorescences

2–5-flowered, umbellate fascicles.

solitary flowers.

Pedicels

5–15 mm, glabrous or hairy.

1–3 mm, hairy.

Flowers

blooming at leaf emergence;

hypanthium campanulate, 2–3.5 mm, glabrous or hairy externally;

sepals broadly spreading to reflexed, obovate, 2.2–4(–5) mm, margins glandular-toothed, sometimes obscurely so, sometimes ciliate, surfaces glabrous or hairy;

petals white, oblong-obovate, 5–10 mm;

ovaries usually glabrous, rarely hairy.

blooming before leaf emergence;

hypanthium tubular-campanulate, 4–6 mm, glabrous or sparsely hairy externally;

sepals reflexed, oblong-ovate, 4–6 mm, margins remotely glandular-toothed, surfaces sparsely hairy;

petals white (pink in bud), broadly elliptic to suborbiculate, 8–12 mm;

ovaries hairy.

Drupes

usually red to reddish purple, sometimes yellow, globose to ellipsoid, 15–25 mm, usually glabrous, rarely puberulent;

mesocarps fleshy;

stones ovoid, ± flattened.

yellow to orange, often tinged with red, ellipsoid to globose, laterally compressed, 25–60 mm, velutinous;

mesocarps fleshy;

stones ellipsoid to subglobose, strongly flattened, not pitted.

2n

= 16.

Prunus subcordata

Prunus armeniaca

Phenology Flowering Mar–May; fruiting Aug–Sep. Flowering Mar–Apr; fruiting May–Jul.
Habitat Stream banks, dry rocky slopes, chaparral, pine-oak and juniper-oak woodlands Roadsides, abandoned plantings
Elevation 100–1900 m (300–6200 ft) 20–1600 m (100–5200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; CO; IA; ID; KS; MI; MO; MT; NM; OR; PA; UT; VA; WA; Asia (China) [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Prunus subcordata shows variation in color, size, indument, and palatability of fruits, which has been the basis for recognition of taxonomic segregates. Variety kelloggii was described as a larger plant with less hairy foliage than in typical P. subcordata, and its fruits are yellow, larger, sweeter, and more pulpy. Variety rubicunda is a smaller shrub with bright red, bitter fruits. Most noteworthy is var. oregana with densely hairy ovaries and puberulent fruits, recorded only from the sparsely inhabited border region between northeastern California and adjacent Oregon. Specimens in herbaria are few and recent collections are lacking. The assignment of P. texana with hairy fruits to the plums (J. Shaw and R. L. Small 2005) makes this variant all the more interesting. Field study and collection followed by morphologic, genetic, and molecular study are needed to clarify its systematic position and significance.

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

Commercial production of apricots in North America is in the western United States, mostly in the San Joaquin Valley of California. There is little market for fresh apricots because of their extremely short shelf life; most fruits are preserved by drying.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 377. FNA vol. 9, p. 375.
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. 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. subhirtella, P. texana, P. tomentosa, P. umbellata, P. virginiana, P. yedoensis
P. americana, P. andersonii, P. angustifolia, 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. 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. subcordata var. kelloggii, P. subcordata var. oregana, P. subcordata var. rubicunda Armeniaca vulgaris
Name authority Bentham: Pl. Hartw., 308. (1849) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 474. (1753)
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