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

desert apricot

Habit Shrubs or trees, often suckering, 10–30(–60) dm, sometimes thorny. Shrubs, suckering unknown, much branched, 10–40 dm, 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 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.

Inflorescences

2–5-flowered, umbellate fascicles.

1–3-flowered, umbellate fascicles.

Pedicels

5–15 mm, glabrous or hairy.

2–12 mm, glabrous.

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 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.

Drupes

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

mesocarps fleshy;

stones ovoid, ± flattened.

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

mesocarps leathery to dry (splitting);

stones ovoid, ± flattened.

Prunus subcordata

Prunus fremontii

Phenology Flowering Mar–May; fruiting Aug–Sep. Flowering Jan–Mar; fruiting Apr–Jun.
Habitat Stream banks, dry rocky slopes, chaparral, pine-oak and juniper-oak woodlands Dry, sandy or rocky slopes, canyons, desert, chaparral, pinyon-juniper woodlands
Elevation 100–1900 m (300–6200 ft) 200–1500 m (700–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[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.)

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

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 377. FNA vol. 9, p. 373.
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. 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
Synonyms P. subcordata var. kelloggii, P. subcordata var. oregana, P. subcordata var. rubicunda P. eriogyna
Name authority Bentham: Pl. Hartw., 308. (1849) S. Watson: in W. H. Brewer et al., Bot. California 2: 442. (1880)
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