Prunus insititia L.

Species

Characteristics

Shrubs or trees, to 6 m tall. Branches grayish black, glabrous, sometimes spiny; branchlets purplish brown, tomentose. Winter buds solitary or 2 parallel, purplish red, sometimes subglabrous or ciliate at scale margins. Stipules lorate, margin glandular ciliate, apex acuminate. Petiole 1–2(–2.5) cm, pubescent; leaf blade obovate, elliptic, or rarely oblong, 3.5–6(–8) × 2–4 cm, pubescent, soon glabrescent, abaxially pale green, adaxially dark green, base cuneate to broadly cuneate and with a pair of nectaries, margin coarsely serrate with teeth apex obtuse and gland-tipped, apex acute to obtuse; midvein and secondary veins prominent. Flowers 2(or 3) in a fascicle, rarely solitary, 2–2.5 cm in diam. Pedicel 1–1.5 cm, pubescent. Hypanthium outside subglabrous. Sepals narrowly ovate to oblong, outside subglabrous, margin entire or repand, apex obtuse to shortly acute. Petals white and inconspicuously purplish veined, broadly obovate, base broadly cuneate and with a short claw, apex obtuse. Stamens 20–25. Ovary glabrous. Stigma disc-shaped. Drupe bluish black, subglobose to ovoid, 1–2.5 cm in diam., glabrous; endocarp small, ± flattened, nearly smooth. Fl. Apr–May, fr. Jun–Sep.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support -
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 3.75 - 4.5
Mature height (meter) 4.5 - 6.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light 6-9
Soil humidity 4-7
Soil texture 2-5
Soil acidity 4-7
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 5-7

Usage

Uses dye eating food gum medicinal oil rootstock
Edible fruits seeds
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity weak toxic (seed), weak toxic (leaf), weak toxic (fruit)
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) 120 - 365
Germination temperacture (C°) 18 - 23
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -29
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Leaf

Prunus insititia leaf picture by manuelmm (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Prunus insititia world distribution map, present in China and France

Conservation status

Prunus insititia threat status: Endangered

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:729836-1
WFO ID wfo-0000983763
COL ID 4N8WH
BDTFX ID 53534
INPN ID 116083
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Prunus agrestis Prunus insititia Druparia insititia Prunus italica Prunus enucleata var. insititia