The World Flora Online

15. Prunus L.

Amygdalopsis M. Roem., Amygdalus L., Armeniaca Scop., Cerasus Mill., Emplectocladus Torr., Lauro-cerasus Tourn. ex Duhamel, Microcerasus Webb et Berthel., Padus Mill., Persica Mill., Prunophora Neck., Pygeum Gaertn.

Por J.A. Pérez-Zabala.

Árboles, arbustos o subarbustos deciduos, semideciduos o siempreverdes, algunas veces armados. Extensiones vegetativas (ramitas) glabras o pubescentes, generalmente lenticeladas, con crecimiento estacional produciendo unidades de extensión estacionales de diversa longitud; yemas glabras o pubérulas cubiertas con catafilos ovados o deltoides, frecuentemente trilobados y con una línea de tricomas ventralmente en el área de inserción con el tallo; ramas vegetativas y fértiles nuevas algunas veces con hojas transicionales (catafilos transicionales) trilobadas hacia la base. Hojas simples, alternas, con los márgenes enteros, serrados, o dentados, la nervadura generalmente broquidódroma, a veces eucamptódroma, las nervaduras secundarias a veces formando domacios en la intersección con la vena media; glándulas foliares superficiales casi siempre presentes, laminares, marginales o peciolares, generalmente en pares desde uno hasta numerosos; generalmente pecioladas; estípulas por lo general tempranamente caducas, subuladas hasta ampliamente foliáceas. Flores dispuestas sobre ramas especializadas (ramas florales), emergiendo axialmente sobre ramas cortas (braquiblastos) o regulares, generalmente racemosas, a veces ramificadas basalmente o con el eje comprimido con apariencia de umbelas o fascículos, o reducidas a 1 sola flor; brácteas basales similares a los catafilos, deciduas tempranamente. Flores casi siempre hermafroditas, aunque algunas veces con el pistilo reducido y no funcional; brácteas generalmente deciduas tempranamente; bractéolas algunas veces presentes; hipanto generalmente bien desarrollado; sépalos generalmente deltoides o lingüiformes, valvares; pétalos 5(10), generalmente blancos, a veces amarillos, rosados o verdosos, insertados en los márgenes del hipanto, libres, quincunciales, membranosos, desde orbiculares hasta espatulados con la base angosta, a veces de apariencia sepaloide; estambres 10-20(-85), en 1-varias series, los filamentos filiformes, libres, las anteras frecuentemente glabras, dorsifijas; pistilo con estilo terminal, el ovario súpero, 1-carpelar, insertado en la base del hipanto, con 2 óvulos por carpelo, generalmente solo uno se desarrolla, hemiepítropos con 1 o 2 obturadores adyacentes al micrópilo, el estigma capitado hasta discoide. Frutos en drupas, monospermas, rara vez dispermas, con una cicatriz longitudinal

Trees or shrubs, deciduous. Branchlets sometimes spine-tipped. Axillary winter bud solitary, ovoid; terminal winter bud absent. Stipules membranous, soon caducous. Leaves simple, alternate, convolute [or conduplicate] when young; petiolate or sessile; petiole apex or base of leaf blade margin with or without nectaries; leaf blade margin variously crenate or coarsely serrate. Inflorescences apparently axillary, solitary or to 3-flowered in a fascicle; bracts small, soon caducous. Flowers opening before or at same time as leaves. Hypanthium campanulate. Sepals 5, imbricate. Petals 5, white, sometimes purple-veined, rarely greenish, inserted on rim of hypanthium, imbricate. Stamens 20–30, in 2 whorls; filaments unequal. Carpel 1; ovary superior, 1-loculed, glabrous or sometimes villous; ovules 2, collateral, pendulous. Style terminal, elongated. Fruit a drupe, glabrous, often glaucous, usually with a longitudinal groove; mesocarp fleshy, not splitting when ripe; endocarp laterally compressed, smooth, rarely grooved or rugose.

PRUNUS L.

Arboles o arbustos, a veces espinosos. Hojas alternas, simples, comúnmente serradas. Flores en fascículos o racimos, blancas o rosadas; pétalos insertos en la garganta del hipanto; estambres 5–20, insertos en la garganta del hipanto; carpelo 1. Fruto una drupa con pulpa jugosa, hueso duro; semilla 1.

Género con ca 200 especies en zonas templadas y tropicales de Europa, Asia y las Américas; 1 especie nativa y otra cultivada se han colectado en Nicaragua y otra se espera encontrar.

Trees

Trees with alternate simple leaves. Flowers (in Panamanian species) white, racemose; calyx 5-lobed, the tube perigynous, cup-like, forming with the receptac- ular disk the hypanthium bearing the 15-20 stamens and 5 petals at its margin; filaments free, filiform or somewhat dilated at base; carpel 1, with terminal style and peltate or truncate stigma; ovules 2, collateral. Fruit a drupe, one-seeded, often with juicy pulp.

Hypanthium cup-shaped, obconic, or urceolate; sep spreading or reflexed, usually soon deciduous; pet 5, white to pink or red, elliptic to obovate, spreading; stamens ca 20; pistil 1, simple, 2-ovulate, inserted at the bottom of the hypanthium and bearing a terminal style; fr a 1-seeded drupe, the exocarp fleshy or juicy, the endocarp (stone) hard; trees or shrubs with simple, serrate lvs, very often with a pair of large glands at the summit of the petiole, the fls conspicuous, umbellate or solitary from axillary buds or short lateral branches, or racemose and terminal; bark commonly with conspicuous horizontal lenticels, relatively smooth, or breaking up into smooth platelets. (Amygdalus, Cerasus, Padus) 200, mainly N. Temp.

A primarily temperate genus with about 450 species, about a dozen species naturally occurring in tropical America.

Shrubs or trees. Leaves alternate, simple, coriaceous, glabrous, with entire or toothed margins, the base usually with a pair of glandular dots; stipules minute, lanceolate, early deciduous. Flowers bisexual, 5-merous, actinomorphic, in axillary racemes or solitary; hypanthium cone-shaped, sepals triangular, deciduous; petals longer than the sepals, deciduous; stamens 15-30, the filaments connate into a short tube; ovary superior, sessile, of a single carpel, with 2 ovules, the style slender, distal, the stigma cone-shaped to truncate. Fruit a 1-seeded, fleshy or dry drupe, ellipsoidal or bilobed.

SELECTED REFERENCES Bortiri, E. et al. 2001. Phylogeny and systematics of Prunus (Rosaceae) as determined by sequence analysis of ITS and the chloroplast trnL-trnF spacer DNA. Syst. Bot. 26: 797–807. Bortiri, E. et al. 2002. The phylogenetic utility of nucleotide sequences of sorbitol 6-phosphate dehydrogenase in Prunus (Rosaceae). Amer. J. Bot. 89: 1697–1708. Bortiri, E., B. Vanden Heuvel, and D. Potter. 2006. Phylogenetic analysis of morphology in Prunus reveals extensive homoplasy. Pl. Syst. Evol. 259: 53–71. Hedrick, U. P. 1911. The Plums of New York. Albany. Lee, S. and J. Wen. 2001. A phylogenetic analysis of Prunus and the Amygdaloideae (Rosaceae) using ITS sequences of nuclear ribosomal DNA. Amer. J. Bot. 88: 150–160. Mason, S. C. 1913. The pubescent-fruited species of Prunus of the southwestern states. J. Agric. Res. 1: 147–178. McVaugh, R. 1951. A revision of the North American black cherries (Prunus serotina Ehrh., and relatives). Brittonia 7: 279–315. Shaw, J. and R. L. Small. 2005. Chloroplast DNA phylogeny and phylogeography of the North American plums (Prunus subgenus Prunus section Prunocerasus, Rosaceae). Amer. J. Bot. 92: 2011–2030. Wight, W. F. 1915. Native American species of Prunus. Bull. U.S.D.A. 179: 1–75.

Shrubs or trees, sometimes forming clonal thickets, 1–400 dm, glabrous or hairy. Stems 1–20+; bark reddish, reddish brown, gray-brown, or dark gray; long and short shoots usually present; thorns present or absent. Leaves deciduous or persistent, cauline; stipules caducous, linear to lanceolate, margins toothed to lobed, usually glandular; petiole present or absent, ?usually glandular near blade?; blade elliptic, oblong, suborbiculate, ovate, lanceolate, linear, obovate, oblanceolate, spatulate, fan-shaped, or rhombic, seldom folded along midribs, 0.5–18 cm, membranous to leathery, margins flat, usually entire or toothed, sometimes undulate, ?teeth usually glandular, sometimes eglandular?. Inflorescences terminal ?on short shoots or from axils of previous year’s leaves?, 1–64(–90)[–100]-flowered, racemes, corymbs, umbellate fascicles, 2-flowered fascicles, or solitary; bracts sometimes present; bracteoles present. Pedicels usually present, sometimes absent. Flowers usually bisexual, sometimes unisexual (then plants usually dioecious, sometimes andropolygamous), blooming before or at leaf emergence, 4–40 mm diam.; hypanthium 1.5–8 mm, exterior glabrous or hairy; sepals 5, erect to reflexed, usually triangular, semicircular, ovate, or oblong, rarely ovate-elliptic, lanceolate, or obovate; petals 5(–50+ in doubled ornamentals), usually white to pink or dark pink, sometimes yellowish, usually suborbiculate to elliptic or obovate, sometimes oblong, rarely ovate, oblanceolate, or rhombic, ?base usually clawed?; stamens 10–30, usually shorter than or equal to petals, sometimes longer. Drupes 1, greenish yellow to yellowish or orange to bright or dark red, reddish brown, or dark purple to black, globose to ovoid, ovoid-oblong, ellipsoid, or obovoid, 5–30(–80) mm; hypanthium deciduous, rarely persistent in fruit; sepals falling with hypanthium; ?mesocarps usually fleshy, sometimes leathery to dry, rarely splitting along suture to reveal stone; endocarps forming globose to ovoid or ellipsoid to fusiform stones, sometimes flattened laterally?. Seed 1. x = 8.

Calyx-tube obconic, campanulate, cyathiform or tubular; calyx-lobes imbricate. Petals inserted at the mouth of the calyx-tube, or absent. Stamens 10–8, inserted with the petals; filaments filiform, free. Trees or shrubs, sometimes spiny. Leaves alternate, deciduous or persistent, simple, entire or incised; stipules small, caducous. Flowers usually bisexual, solitary or fasciculate-corymbose or in racemes, sometimes precocious. Perianth usually biseriate and 5-merous, sometimes irregularly so. Carpel 1, style terminal, stigma peltate, capitate or truncate; ovules 2, collateral. Fruit drupaceous, fleshy or dry, indehiscent, 1- or rarely 2-seeded. Petals inserted at the mouth of the calyx-tube, or absent. Stamens 10–8, inserted with the petals; filaments filiform, free. Trees or shrubs, sometimes spiny. Leaves alternate, deciduous or persistent, simple, entire or incised; stipules small, caducous. Flowers usually bisexual, solitary or fasciculate-corymbose or in racemes, sometimes precocious. Perianth usually biseriate and 5-merous, sometimes irregularly so. Carpel 1, style terminal, stigma peltate, capitate or truncate; ovules 2, collateral. Fruit drupaceous, fleshy or dry, indehiscent, 1- or rarely 2-seeded.