Prunus ilicifolia
Hollyleaf cherry | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Rosales |
Family: | Rosaceae |
Genus: | Prunus |
Species: | P. ilicifolia
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Binomial name | |
Prunus ilicifolia (
Arn.) Walp. | |
Natural range of Prunus ilicifolia (var. ilicifolia green; var. occidentalis blue) | |
Synonyms[2][3] | |
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Prunus ilicifolia (Common names: hollyleaf cherry,
Prunus ilicifolia is an evergreen shrub
The plant is prized for cultivation, showy and easily grown from seed, and has been cultivated for centuries as a food source, and tolerates twice yearly pruning when often used as a hedge.
Despite its name, it is not a true cherry (
Description
It is an
Subspecies
There are two subspecies:[16][17][18]
- P. ilcifolia subsp. ilicifolia - mainland California and Baja California, red fruit 12–18 mm diameter, leaves dentate
- P. ilicifolia subsp. lyonii (Eastw.) Raven - Catalina cherry, Santa Rosa Islandislands), blue-black fruit 15–25 mm diameter, leaves entire
Distribution and habitat
Prunus ilicifolia is native to California
It is a persistent member of chaparral communities, being slow-growing but long-lived; common chaparral flora associates are
Ecology
Although it will resprout from the stump after fires, the seeds are not fire-adapted like those of many other chaparral plants.[20] Instead, it relies on the natural death of surrounding vegetation during long periods of fire-free conditions to make room for its seedlings.[5]
Though the seeds are often reported to require sunlight to germinate,[20] germination rates of nearly 100% have been achieved with wild-collected seed buried completely in pots with a peatlite mix.[21]
The
Cultivation
Prunus ilicifolia is used in
Uses
The pulp of the cherry is edible.[4] However, the seeds of the hollyleaf cherry are considered to be toxic, and the plant must undergo certain leaching processes to make it safe for consumption.[24] Native Americans fermented the fruit into an intoxicating drink.[4] Some also cracked the dried cherries and made meal from the seeds after grinding and leaching them.[25] It has also been made into jam.[26]
The method of preparation for the cherry was to first extract and crush the kernel in a mortar, and the resulting powder would then be leached in order to eliminate remaining bad chemicals. The final step was to boil the leached powder into an atole.[24] Once this process was completed, Native Californians would then make soup base, tortillas, or tamale-like foods using the resulting ground meal. Other times, the kernel would be kept whole, leached to remove its hydrocyanic acid content, roasted for a couple hours, and then used to make cakes or balls.[27]
Aside from food, the hollyleaf cherry was also used for medicinal purposes by some Native Californian tribes, including the Diegueño and the Cahuilla. Specifically, infusions made from the bark and roots of hollyleaf cherry plants would be used as treatment for common colds and coughs.[27]
References
- ^ IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group & Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) (2020). "Prunus ilicifolia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T64122457A152907500. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ The Plant List, Cerasus ilicifolia Nutt. ex Hook. & Arn
- ^ Tropicos, Prunus ilicifolia (Nutt. ex Hook. & Arn.) D. Dietr.
- ^ OCLC 12370484.
- ^ a b c d e Fire Effects Information Service, USDA Forest Service: Prunus ilicifolia
- ^ E.G. Gudde (1946). The Solution of the Islay Problem. California Folklore Quarterly 5 (3): 298-299 (Gudde concludes that the word "islay" originated in a Salinan word slay; Islay was the Spanish version of their word).
- ^ "Prunus ilicifolia". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ Calflora taxon report, University of California, Prunus ilicifolia (Nutt.) Walp., Holly leaved Cherry, holly leaf cherry, hollyleaf cherry
- ^ SEINet, Southwestern Biodiversity, Arizona chapter photos and distribution map
- ^ Jan Timbrook (December 1982). "Use of Wild Cherry Pits as Food by the California Indians" (PDF). Journal of Ethnobiology. 2 (2). Santa Barbara, California: 163. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
- ISSN 1674-4918.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2024 (link - ^ a b c d e Jepson Flora: Prunus ilicifolia
- Bonanza Books. p. 543.
- ^ Munz, Philip A. 1973. A California flora and supplement. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
- ^ Conrad, C. E. (1987). Common shrubs of chaparral and associated ecosystems of southern California. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-99. Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station.
- ^ Jepson Flora: Prunus ilicifolia subsp. ilicifolia
- ^ Jepson Flora: Prunus ilicifolia subsp. lyonii
- ^ a b Schoenherr, A. A. (1993). A Natural History of California. University of California Press, Berkeley.
- ^ Hogan, C. Michael (2008) Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), GlobalTwitcher, ed. N. Stromberg "Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia ) - - GlobalTwitcher.com". Archived from the original on 2009-07-19. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
- ^ a b Keeley, Jon E. 1987. Role of fire in seed germination of woody taxa in California chaparral. Ecology 68(2): 434-443; cited in FEIS
- ^ Mirov, N. T., & Kraebel, C. J. (1937). Collecting and propagating the seeds of California wild plants. Research Note 18: 1-27. Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, California Forest and Range Experiment Station
- )
- ^ "A California-Friendly Guide to Native and Drought Tolerant Gardens". Las Virgenes Municipal Water District.
- ^ a b ethnoherbalist. "Hollyleaf cherry, a favorite shrub among early southern Californians -". www.ethnoherbalist.com. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
- ISBN 0-394-73127-1.
- Bonanza Books. p. 544.
- ^ a b Immel, Diana L. (January 9, 2002). "Hollyleaf Cherry" (PDF). USDA National Resources Conservation Service.