Description
Prunus – Amygdalus – Almond – Cherry – Cherry Plum – Cherry Laurel – Nectarine – Peach – Plum –
There are about 430 species of deciduous or evergreen, upright, rounded, or occasionally spreading trees and shrubs in this genus. They grow on average 15′ feet tall although some can reach as much as 100′ feet tall. They are widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere but some occur in the Andes of South America, and mountains of Southeastern Asia in woodlands, woodland margins, and thickets, but also in a range of other habitats, including coastal sands, rocky places, and cliffs. They have alternate, broadly ovate to lance shaped, elliptic, oblong, or obovate to almost rounded, usually toothed leaves. Ornamental Prunus species and cultivars are grown for their late winter or spring borne white, pink, or red, scented flowers, which are saucer, bowl, or cup shaped, with 5 petals (more in semi double or double forms), held singly or in clusters. Flowers are usually followed by fleshy, spherical or ovoid fruits which encase a single hard stone (notably edible in P. americana, P. maritima, and P. tomentosa). Some, such as P. maackii and P. serrula, are also grown for their shiny, colorful bark, many, including P. sargentii, have good autumn leaf color, others such as P. cerasifera and P. x cistena, have attractive purple foliage. Leaves and fruits of many species may cause severe discomfort if ingested. Timber of cherriys and plums are sometimes used commercial.
Prunus are divided among 5 or 6 easily recognized subgenera, treated as distinct genera by botanist in some countries. They are: Prunus in the narrow sense, which includes all plums, sometimes included in this subgenus but sometimes kept separate are Armeniaca, the apricots, Amygdalus include peaches, nectarines and almonds as well as a few ornamental species with similar stalkless blossoms and pitted stones, Cerasuss includes all the cherries and flowering cherries with few flowered umbels while Padus include the bird cherries, mainly North American, with small flowers in long racemes, and finally there are the evergreens in subgenus Laurocerasus, also with flowers in racemes and include the well known cherry laurel and its allies and a large group of tropical rainforest trees from Asia and the Americas
They are excellent, although often short lived, specimen tree and shrubs, many being suitable for a small garden. Dense, bushy species, such as P. laurocerasus and P. lusitanica, are useful for screening and groundcover. P. cerasifera, P. x cistena, P. incisa, P. spinosa, and P. tomentosa are suitable for hedging. Grow shrubby species and their cultivgars, such as P. galndulosa and P. trilboa, against a wall or in a shrub border.
Grow in any moist but well drained, moderately fertile, humus enriched soil, deciduous species and cultivars in full sun, evergreens in full sun or partial shade. P. laurocerasus may become chlorotic on shallow alkaline soil. Trim deciduous hedges after flowering, evergreen in early or mid spring. Protect from strong wind. Feed with high nitrogen fertilizer. Few are drought tolerant.
Prone to caterpillars, borers, scale insects, aphids, crown gall, mushroom root rot, eriophyid mites, crown gall, dieback, lesions, fireblight, leaf curl, powdery mildew, mosaic spot viruses, ring spot viruses, and silverleaf disease.
P. caroliniana – Carolina Cherry Laurel – Wild Orange – This large, pyramidal-ovoid evergreen shrub or small tree from Southeastern USA grows 20-40′ feet tall and 15-25′ feet wide. It produces oblong to lance shaped, glossy, dark green leaves, 2-4″ long, with few or no marginal teeth, which are yellow-green or bronze when young. In late winter or early spring it bears spikes of bowl shaped, 5 petaled, fragrant white flowers, 1/4″ across, in dense clusters, 1 ½-3″ long. Flowers are followed by ovoid to spherical, cherry like, lustrous black fruit, ½” in diameter. Useful for screens and hedging, can be weedy-foliage and is poisonous to livestock.
Zones 4-10
