Prunus domestica
| Prunus domestica | |
|---|---|
| File:Fruits Prunus domestica.jpg | |
| 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. Prunus |
| Species: | P. domestica
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| Binomial name | |
| Prunus domestica | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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List
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Prunus domestica is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae. A deciduous tree, it includes many varieties of the fruit trees known as plums in English, though not all plums belong to this species. The greengages and damsons also belong to subspecies of P. domestica.
Description
[edit | edit source]It typically forms a large shrub or a small tree. It may be somewhat thorny, with white blossom, borne in early spring. The oval or spherical fruit varies in size, but can be up to 8 centimetres (3 inches) across. The pulp is usually sweet,[3] but some varieties are sour. Like all Prunus fruits, it contains a single large seed, usually called a stone, which is discarded when eating.
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In early bloom
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Young leaves
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Flowers in spring
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Unripe fruits
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Ripe fruits
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Taxonomy
[edit | edit source]The species' hybrid parentage was believed to be Prunus spinosa and P. cerasifera;[4][5] however, recent cytogenetic evidence seem to implicate 2×, 4×, 6×[a] P. cerasifera as the sole wild stock from which the cultivated 6× P. domestica could have evolved.[6]
Subspecies
[edit | edit source]Cullen et al. (1995) recognises three subspecies,[7] though scientific studies[which?] favor a more fine-grained separation:
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The subspecies cross easily, so that numerous intermediate forms can be found: their sweetness and tartness may vary, their colors varying from bluish-purple to red, orange, yellow or light green.[citation needed]
Cultivars
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Numerous cultivars have been selected for garden use. The following have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:
Uses
[edit | edit source]The pulp is edible[20] and usually sweet, though some varieties are sour and require cooking with sugar to make them palatable.
Plums are grown commercially in orchards, but modern rootstocks, together with self-fertile strains, training and pruning methods, allow single plums to be grown in relatively small spaces. Their early flowering and fruiting means that they require a sheltered spot away from frosts and cold winds.[3]
Most prunes (dried plums) are made from fruits of this species.[citation needed]
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Harvested ripe fruits
Notes
[edit | edit source]- ^ Diploid, tetraploid, hexaploid: see Polyploidy
References
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- ^ Cullen, J. et al. (1995). The European Garden Flora. Volume IV. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
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External links
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- File:Wikispecies-logo.svg Data related to Prunus domestica at Wikispecies
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