Prunus armeniaca, the most commonly cultivated apricot species, also called ansu apricot, Siberian apricot, Tibetan apricot, is a species of Prunus, classified with the plum in the subgenus Prunus. The native range is somewhat uncertain due to its extensive prehistoric cultivation, though almost certainly somewhere in Asia. It is extensively cultivated in many countries and has escaped into the wild in many places.
Almond is a tree in the family Rosaceae and the seed from that tree, but may also refer to:
Prunus mahaleb, the mahaleb cherry or St Lucie cherry, is a species of cherry tree. The tree is cultivated for a spice obtained from the seeds inside the cherry stones. The seeds have a fragrant smell and have a taste comparable to bitter almonds with cherry notes.
Prunus tenella, dwarf Russian almond, is a species of deciduous shrub in the genus Prunus, native to steppes of Eastern Europe and Western Siberia, as well as dry open sites of Caucasus, Western and Central Asia. In the wild, it tends to grow in clusters of one to three. P. tenella yields small almond-like hairy fruits with characteristic flavor. It grows to 1.5 m (5 ft) and is a popular ornamental plant in cold temperate regions, valued for its profuse spring blossom and exceptional winter hardiness. 'Fire Hill' is a popular cultivar with red flowers.
Prunus caroliniana, known as the Carolina laurelcherry, Carolina cherry laurel, cherry laurel, or Carolina cherry, is a small evergreen flowering tree native to the lowlands of Southeastern United States, from North Carolina south to Florida and westward to central Texas. The species has also escaped into the wild in a few places in California.
Prunus texana, called peachbush, Texas almond cherry, Texas peachbush, sand plum, peach bush, and wild peach. It is native to central and western Texas.
Prunus turneriana is a species of Prunus native to Papua New Guinea and Australia. Its common names include almondbark, wild almond, and joonda. The name almondbark refers to the odor of almonds emitted when the bark is cut. A late successional rainforest tree, it reaches 30 m. The fruit is relished by cassowaries.
Prunus mira, the smooth stone peach, smooth-pit peach or Tibetan peach, and locally called Behmi, Behimi or Tirul, is a species of Prunus native to the foothills of the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau, at elevations typically between 2600 and 3000 m, but ranging from 2000 to 4000 m.
Prunus trichamygdalus is a putative species of "wild" almond tree native to eastern Anatolia in Turkey, and nearby areas of Iran. Molecular and morphological analyses show that is very similar to Prunus dulcis, the cultivated almond, differing in its shorter petioles and smaller leaves with more numerous crenulations. Its flowers are pink, and its fruits green. Non-bitter forms may be cultivated, but its native range is restricted to elevations of 1250-2100 m on limestone slopes and gorges in the Lake Van area.
Prunus mongolica, the Mongolian almond, is a species of Prunus native to China and Mongolia, particularly the Gobi Desert. A small scrubby bush, reaching 1-2 m, it is adapted to extreme drought. Genetic studies have shown that it is more closely related to the peaches, with its closest relative being Prunus tangutica.
Prunus spinosissima, the thorny almond, is a species of wild almond native to dry areas of Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Iran, preferring to grow at 400-1500 m above sea level. It is morphologically similar to Prunus erioclada, P. lycioides, P. eburnea and P. brahuica.
Prunus bucharica is a species of wild almond native to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, preferring to grow at 1000-1800 m above sea level. Long thought to be one of the wild species that contributed to the origin of the cultivated almond, genetic testing of both nuclear and chloroplast DNA has shown that to be untrue; the closest relative of Prunus dulcis is Prunus fenzliana.
Prunus fenzliana is a species of wild almond native to the Caucasus areas of Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Turkmenistan, preferring to grow at 1400-3500 m above sea level. On the basis of morphology it has been long thought to be one of the wild species that contributed to the origin of the cultivated almond. Genetic testing of both nuclear and chloroplast DNA has confirmed that it is the closest relative of Prunus dulcis.
Prunus haussknechtii is a species of wild almond native to Iran. It is shrub or small tree 1-2 m tall, sometimes reaching 4 m, with pink flowers. It prefers to grow at 1200 to 3600 m above sea level, near water, either riverbanks or mountain bases where there is melting snow. It has the largest nut and seed of the 17 species of almond.
Prunus kuramica is a species of wild almond native to Afghanistan and nearby areas of Pakistan. It is a dense shrub or tree 1 to 5 m tall, with purplish-red hypanthia and sepals, and white or pink petals. It prefers to grow in xeric woodlands with Quercus and Juniper species, typically in rocky ravines at 1800 to 2850 m above sea level. A genetic study showed that is closely related to Prunus bucharica, P. webbii and P. kotschyi, and a full genetic and morphological analysis shows that its closest relative is Prunus bucharica.
Prunus tangutica is a species of wild peach native to China. Based on its fruit traits it had been considered a wild almond, but genetic and morphological studies have shown that it is more closely related to Prunus persica, the cultivated peach, with its closest relative being Prunus mongolica. It is a very dense spiny shrub or shrubby tree, usually 1 to 2.5 m tall but reaching 4 m, preferring to grow on sunny slopes and alongside streams at 1500 to 2600 m, but found as high as 3400 m. Its flower petals are a pale pink, and its velutinous (velvety) fruit are green when unripe and purplish‑red when ripe. The fruits' mesocarps splits when ripe, which led to it being classified as an almond for over a century, with the exception of Kovalev & Kostina in 1935, who assigned it to Persica.
