Prunus sibirica

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Siberian apricot
)
Not to be confused with
Amygdalus sibirica
.

Prunus sibirica
Prunus sibirica fruit

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Prunus
Subgenus: Prunus subg. Prunus
Section: Prunus sect. Armeniaca
Species:
P. sibirica
Binomial name
Prunus sibirica
Synonyms[2]
  • Armeniaca sibirica (L.) Lam.

Prunus sibirica, commonly known as Siberian apricot, is a species of shrub or small tree native to northern China, Korea, Mongolia, and eastern Siberia. It is classified in the rose family, Rosaceae, and is one of several species whose fruit are called apricot, although this species is rarely cultivated for its fruit. The species was named by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.[2]

Description

The species is highly genetically diverse.[3] It grows in the form of a small tree with spreading branches and reaches a height of 3 meters (10 ft).[4] It is very frost resistant and can survive temperatures down to −45 °C (−49 °F).[5][6]

The tree's bark is dark grey, while the bark of the branches is reddish to dark brown, sparsely hairy at first, but soon glabrous. The reddish-brown winter buds are ovoid to conical, 2–4 mm long and the edges of the bud scales are hairy.[4][7][8]

The simple leaves have

serrate
(not double serrate).

Blossoms appear in early spring as solitary flowers. The flower stalk is about 1 to 2 mm long, and the bell-shaped flower cup is purple outside and hairy at the base, glabrous, or slightly downy. The flowers are hermaphrodite, with a diameter of 1.5 to 3.5 cm. The five free petals, almost circular to ovoid in shape, are white with pink veins. The many free stamens are nearly as long as the petals.[4][7][8]

The fruits, maturing in early- to mid-summer,

endocarp
) and opens along the ventral suture at full maturity. It may be only 2.5 to 3 mm thick. The compressed spherical stone inside the fruit has a smooth surface, and a diameter of 1.2 to 2.5 centimeters. The seed inside is hardly edible and somewhat bitter.

Uses

Seed oil from P. sibirica has been studied as a source of biodiesel.[9][10] The oil content of Prunus mandshurica seeds is significantly higher and also has potential as a source of biodiesel.[11]

Varieties

Four varieties have been recognized (under the species name Armeniaca sibirica):[7]

  • var. sibirica: The leaf blade and petiole are mostly bare. The flowers are single with a diameter of 1.5 to 2 cm.
  • var. multipetala: The leaf blade and petiole are bald. The large flowers are 3 to 3.5 cm in diameter. It only grows on slopes at altitudes of about 400 meters in eastern Hebei province, China.
  • var. pleniflora: The leaf blade and petiole are initially hairy. The flowers are 3 to 3.5 cm in diameter. It only grows in mountainous regions at altitudes of about 800 meters in western Liaoning province China.
  • var. pubescens: The leaf blade and petiole are initially hairy, but later, only the ramifications of the veins on the underside of leaves are hairy. The flowers are single with a diameter of 1.5 to 2 cm.

References

  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T50026571A50026610.en
    . Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Prunus sibirica". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  3. PMID 24384840
    .
  4. ^ a b c d e "Pyrus sibirica L." Plants for a Future. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  5. ISBN 3-540-41017-1
    .
  6. ^ "Prunus sibirica Siberian Apricot PFAF Plant Database".
  7. ^ a b c d e Lingdi, Lu; Bartholomew, Bruce (2003). "Armeniaca". Flora of China (PDF). Vol. 9. pp. 396–401.
  8. ^ a b c d Bailey, L. H. (1895). "Russian Apricot". American Gardening. Vol. 11. New York: Rural Publishing Company. pp. 645–646.
  9. PMID 22440572
    .
  10. ISBN 978-1-490-10684-7
    .
  11. doi:10.1016/j.indcrop.2013.08.072
    .

External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Prunus_sibirica.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prunus_sibirica&oldid=1191747021"