Prunus Trees

Flowering cherry trees are ornamental highlights of the spring season.

Prunus is a genus within the rose family of plants. Stone fruits including peaches, plums, cherries and apricots are all part of the genus Prunus. Ornamental flowering cherry and plum trees are also Prunus trees. Attractive evergreen forms of ornamental Prunus trees are valuable in the landscape. Both flowering and fruiting almonds are among the Prunus collection of ornamental and fruiting trees.

Fruiting Prunus Trees

Plum trees are fruiting trees within the genus Prunus.

Plums, cherries, apricots and peaches fall within the genus Prunus, along with hybrids resulting from crosses, such as the pluot, plumcot and cherrycot. Fruiting Prunus trees produce stone fruits called drupes. A drupe contains an outer skin layer, a fleshy middle layer, and a hard, woody center surrounding the seed. The outer skins and inner fleshy layers of drupes are the parts that are generally eaten. The hard woody center shell protects the seed from damage as it passes through the digestive tracts of animals. Hundreds of named cultivars exist, representing the wide variety of stone fruits and hybrids. The pits of stone fruits, except almonds, typically contain poisonous hydrocyanic (prussic) acid (HCH) and must not be consumed.

Ornamental Deciduous Prunus Trees

Cherry blossom season is eagerly awaited in Washington, D.C., and in Japan.

Ornamental members of the genus Prunus include flowering cherry, plum, almond and apricot trees. These deciduous trees are closely related to their fruiting counterparts. The value of the trees as landscape features comes primarily from their spectacular winter or spring floral displays. The attractive form and summer leafing of the trees adds to their desirability. Many varieties offer colorful fall foliage interest, and some produce small edible fruits. Weeping forms of flowering cherry trees are especially attractive as specimen plants. Several flowering plum trees feature purple foliage. Select varieties suited to your locale.

Ornamental Evergreen Prunus Trees

Evergreen trees in the genus Prunus are valuable as hedges and screens. Some are especially useful as shade or street trees. All have glossy, attractive leaves and fragrant, creamy white flowers followed by small fruits. Some have variegated leaves. Heights range from 5 to 70 feet tall. Shrubbier types are used as hedges or can be trained as attractive multi- or single-trunk trees. The fruits of some varieties are messy nuisances, especially on paved areas. Carolina laurel cherry, English laurel and Portugal laurel, and hollyleaf cherry and Catalina cherry are evergreen Prunus trees.

Almond Trees

An almond tree is a drupe-producing tree in the genus Prunus.

Prunis dulcis, or the almond tree, produces drupes. The almond is the edible seed within the hard woody center shell. Unlike other drupe fruits in which the outer and middle layers are eaten, the outer and middle layers of the almond are discarded before marketing. Consumers purchase either the hard woody inner layer to be shelled, or the shelled product in the form of whole, blanched, roasted or raw almonds. Almond trees are cold-hardy but require long, hot dry summers to produce. Late frosts destroy the developing crops of these early-blooming trees.

References

• Wayne's Word; Rose Family: Rosaceae; W.P. Armstrong; November 7, 2009
• "Sunset Western Garden Book"; Kathleen Morris Brenzel, et al.; 2007

Resources

• Stanford University Trees; Encyclopedia of Stanford Trees, Shrubs and Vines - Cherry Plum