Prunus subcordata |
Prunus laurocerasus |
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Klamath plum, Oregon plum, Pacific plum, Sierra or Klamath or Pacific plume, Sierra plum, western plum |
cherry-laurel, common cherry laurel, hedge cherry laurel, laurel cherry |
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Habit | Shrubs or trees, often suckering, 10–30(–60) dm, sometimes thorny. | Shrubs or trees, sometimes suckering, 20–60(–100) dm, not thorny. |
Twigs | with axillary end buds, glabrous or hairy. |
with terminal 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. |
persistent; petiole 5–15 mm, glabrous, eglandular; blade elliptic to obovate, 6–18 × 3–7 cm, base cuneate to obtuse, margins remotely serrulate or nearly entire, teeth blunt, glandular, apex abruptly short-acuminate, apicula acute, surfaces glabrous, abaxial glandular, glands 1–several, proximal, flat, circular to oval. |
Inflorescences | 2–5-flowered, umbellate fascicles. |
26–32-flowered, racemes; central axes (35–)55–130 mm, leafless at bases. |
Pedicels | 5–15 mm, glabrous or hairy. |
1–5 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 before leaf emergence; hypanthium cupulate, 3–4 mm, glabrous externally; sepals spreading, triangular, 0.7–1.2 mm, margins usually entire, sometimes with deciduous glands, ciliate in spots, surfaces glabrous or hairy; petals white, obovate or broadly elliptic to suborbiculate, 3–5 mm; ovaries glabrous. |
Drupes | usually red to reddish purple, sometimes yellow, globose to ellipsoid, 15–25 mm, usually glabrous, rarely puberulent; mesocarps fleshy; stones ovoid, ± flattened. |
deep purple-red to nearly black, ovoid to conic-ovoid, 13–17 mm, glabrous; mesocarps fleshy to leathery; stones ovoid, not flattened. |
Prunus subcordata |
Prunus laurocerasus |
|
Phenology | Flowering Mar–May; fruiting Aug–Sep. | Flowering Mar–May; fruiting Aug–Nov. |
Habitat | Stream banks, dry rocky slopes, chaparral, pine-oak and juniper-oak woodlands | Riparian thickets, shaded ravines, understory of urban and second-growth forests |
Elevation | 100–1900 m (300–6200 ft) | 0–600 m (0–2000 ft) |
Distribution |
CA; OR
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CA; OR; WA; BC; Eurasia [Introduced in North America]
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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.) |
Flowering specimens of Prunus laurocerasus with small leaves and entire margins that otherwise resemble P. caroliniana can be identified by their larger hypanthia and longer petals. In fruit, the stone is much harder in P. laurocerasus and does not split open upon drying; the flesh around the stone is thicker and more succulent. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 9, p. 377. | FNA vol. 9, p. 362. |
Parent taxa | Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Amygdaleae > Prunus | Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Amygdaleae > Prunus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | P. subcordata var. kelloggii, P. subcordata var. oregana, P. subcordata var. rubicunda | |
Name authority | Bentham: Pl. Hartw., 308. (1849) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 474. (1753) |
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