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Electronic Flora of South Australia genus Fact Sheet

Family: Rosaceae
Prunus

Citation: L., Sp. Pl. 473 (1753).

Derivation: Prunus, the Latin name for the plum tree.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: None

Description:
Shrubs or trees, deciduous (p. laurocerasus evergreen), juvenile phases often spiny; buds with imbricate scales; leaves alternate, stipulate, petiolate, mostly entire, often serrate.

Flowers pedicellate or nearly sessile, solitary, in small clusters or in racemes; sepals 5; petals 5; stamens numerous; ovary superior, ovules 2; style simple.

Fruit a drupe mostly succulent but epicarp and mesocarp sometimes splitting at maturity, usually with a bony endocarp.

Distribution:  A large genus of about 200 species mainly in the temperate region of the Northern Hemisphere.

Biology: No text

Uses: The genus provides many important horticulture fruits, peach, apricot, plum, cherry, almond, now widely grown in temperate areas of the world. All the examples in Australia are introduced.

Taxonomic notes: Some authors divide the genus into several smaller generic units e.g. Armeniaca, Amygdalus, Cerasus, etc.

Key to Species:
1. Evergreen shrub; inflorescence a raceme
P. laurocerasus 6.
1. Deciduous shrubs or trees; inflorescence not clearly racemose
 
2. Ovary and fruit hairy
 
3. Leaves cordate; stone ridged near the suture
P. armeniaca 1.
3. Leaves oblong to oblong-lanceolate; stone pitted
 
4. Fruit dry, dehiscent; stone finely pitted
P. dulcis 5.
4. Fruit succulent, indehiscent; stone deeply sulcate
P. persica vat. persica 7a.
2. Ovary and fruit glabrous
 
5. Pedicel at least twice as long as the ripe fruit
P. avium 2.
5. Pedicel less than twice as long as the ripe fruit
 
6. Pedicel short or absent; petals pink; stone deeply sulcate
P. persica var. nectarina 7b.
6. Pedicel present, as long as or longer than the fruit; petals white; stone smooth or ridged near the suture
 
7. Young twigs and leaves usually hairy; pedicel shorter than the length of the fruit
P. domestica 4.
7. Young twigs usually glabrous or sparsely pubescent on the petiole and mid-vein; pedicel longer than the length of the fruit
P. cerasifera 3.

Author: Not yet available


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