Prunus cerasoides D. Don

Habit

Tree

Family Description

Trees, shrubs or herbs; sometimes armed, indumentum of simple hairs (sometimes stellate in Rubus). Leaves alternate, simple or pinnately, stipules usually present. Flowers solitary or often in fascicles, racemes, cymes, corymbs or panicles, actinomorphic, bisexual, rarely unisexual. Calyx lobes, petals and stamens inserted at margin of calyx cup or tube (hypanthium). Calyx lobes 4-6, sometimes with as many outer epicalyx segments. Petals 4-6 or more, free. Stamens 4-many. Ovary of 1-many free, superior carpels or 4-6-celled, inferior or semi-inferior and united to calyx-tube; styles simple, free, sometimes united; ovules 1 or more per cell. Fruit an achene (often aggregated), follicle, drupe or pome.

Genus Description

Trees or shrubs, evergreen or deciduous. Leaves simple, unlobed, usually with one or several sessile glands near apex of petioles, or on the adjoining leaf margin, or scattered on lamina beneath; stipules usually deciduous. Flowers in axillary racemes or fascicles, sometimes solitary. Calyx deciduous, tubular or obconic, lobes 5. Petals 5 alternating with calyx lobes. Stamens 10-35. Ovary a single carpel, style simple; calyx cup circumscissile to leave a circular scar or rim at base of developing fruit. Fruit an ovoid or globose drupe containing a hard one-seeded stone, indehiscent or rarely dehiscent.

Species description

Tree 5-15m. Leaves ovate or oblong-elliptic, 5-12 x 3.5-4cm, shortly acuminate 1-2cm, bearing near apex 2-5 raised disc-like glands 0.75-1mm diameter; stipules linear-lanceolate 7-10mm, pinnately divided into linear segments, deciduous. Flowers 1-3 in fascicles, unfolding with young leaves, produced from lateral buds and surrounded by rounded bud scales at base; pedicels 1-2cm. Calyx cup tubular-campanulate 1cm, glabrous, green flushed pink, lobes 5mm ovate, acute. Petals obovate, 1.5-1.8 x 0.8cm, pink, spreading. Filaments of outer stamens ± as long as petals. Drupes ellipsoid 1-1.3 x 0.8cm.