''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'' is a

subgenus In biology, a subgenus ( subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the ge ...

of ''

Prunus ''Prunus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs from the family (biology), family Rosaceae. The genus includes plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots and almonds (collectively Drupe, stonefruit). The genus has a cosm ...

''. This subgenus includes

plum A plum is a fruit of some species in Prunus subg. Prunus, ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are often called prunes, though in the United States they may be labeled as 'dried plums', especially during the 21st century. Plums are ...

apricot An apricot (, ) is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus ''Prunus''. Usually an apricot is from the species '' P. armeniaca'', but the fruits of the other species in ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca'' are also ...

s and bush cherries. Some species conventionally included in ''Prunus'' subg. ''Amygdalus'' are clustered with plum/apricot species according to

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

studies. Shi et al. (2013) has incorporated subg. ''Amygdalus'' into subg. ''Prunus,'' thereby including

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany, syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera ...

s and

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and Agriculture, cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called necta ...

es in this subgenus. The species in this subgenus have solitary flowers or 2–3 in a fascicle.

Sections according to Shi et al. (2013)

Shi et al. (2013) divide subg. ''Prunus'' into seven sections: sect. ''Amygdalus'', sect. ''Armeniaca'', sect. ''Emplectocladus'', sect. ''Microcerasus'', sect. ''Persicae'', sect. ''Prunocerasus'' and sect. ''Prunus''. They form three clades. The basal clade is sect. ''Emplectocladus'' which is sometimes treated as a subgenus. The other two clades are the ''Amygdalus''-''Persicae'' clade (sometimes treated as subg. ''Amygdalus'') and the ''Armeniaca''-''Microcerasus''-''Prunocerasus''-''Prunus'' clade (subg. ''Prunus'' in a narrow sense).

Sect. ''Emplectocladus''

''Prunus'' sect. ''Emplectocladus'' (Torr.) A.Gray is the

sister group In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and ...

to all the other species in this subgenus, and sometimes treated as a distinct subgenus, ''Prunus'' subg. ''Emplectocladus'' (Torr.) S.C.Mason. It includes six

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

species. * ''

Prunus fasciculata ''Prunus fasciculata'', also known as wild almond, desert almond, or desert peach is a spiny and woody shrub producing wild almonds, which is native to western deserts of North America. Description ''Prunus fasciculata'' grows up to high, exce ...

'' – desert almond * '' Prunus cercocarpifolia'' * '' Prunus eremophila'' – Mojave Desert almond * '' Prunus havardii'' – Havard's wild almond * ''

Prunus microphylla ''Prunus microphylla'' is a species of ''Prunus ''Prunus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs from the family (biology), family Rosaceae. The genus includes plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots and almonds (co ...

'' – Mexican wild almond * '' Prunus minutiflora'' – Texas wild almond

Sect. ''Amygdalus''

''Prunus'' sect. ''Amygdalus'' (L.) Benth. & Hook.f. and the next section (''Persica'') sometimes constitute ''Prunus'' subg. ''Amygdalus'' (L.) Focke which is monophyletic, but the incongruence between nuclear and chloroplast DNA phylogenies blurs the boundary between the two sections somewhat. The word "ămygdălus" is Latin for the almond nut. This section includes most

Old World The "Old World" () is a term for Afro-Eurasia coined by Europeans after 1493, when they became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia in the Eastern Hemisphere, previously ...

almond species except '' P. mongolica'', '' P. tangutica'', '' P. triloba'', '' P. pedunculata'', '' P. tenella'', '' P. petunnikowii'' and probably other related species. Selected species: * ''

Prunus arabica ''Prunus arabica'' is a species of wild almond found across the Middle East. It is a broomlike shrub typically 0.75 to 2m tall, with brown bark. Its leaves have a 5-8 mm petiole and the leaf blades are 15 to 44 mm long and 3 to 10 mm wide. Its i ...

'' – Arabian wild almond * ''

Prunus dulcis The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera by corrugations on the sh ...

'' – almond * ''

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 1400-3500m above sea level. On the basis of morphology it has been long thought to be one ...

'' * ''

Prunus spinosissima ''Prunus spinosissima'', the thorny almond, () is a species of wild almond native to dry areas of Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as ...

'' – thorny almond

Sect. ''Persica''

''Prunus'' sect. ''Persica'' (Mill.) Nakai includes peach species as well as two species previously considered almonds ('' P. mongolica'' and '' P. tangutica''). * ''

Prunus davidiana ''Prunus davidiana''Chittenden, Fred J., Synge, Patrick M., editors. 1977. “The Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening”, edn. 2, Oxford University Press. . Volume 3, pp. 1696Hogan, Sean, chief consultant. 2003, 2004. "Flora A Gar ...

'' – Chinese peach * '' Prunus ferganensis'' – Fergana peach * '' Prunus kansuensis'' – Gansu peach * '' Prunus mira'' – Tibetan peach * '' Prunus mongolica'' – Mongolian almond * '' Prunus persica'' – peach * '' Prunus tangutica'' – Tangut almond

Sect. ''Armeniaca''

Species in this ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca'' (Scop.) Koch are

s, native to

Eurasia Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...

. Selected species: * '' Prunus armeniaca'' – apricot * ''

Prunus mandshurica ''Prunus mandshurica'', also called Manchurian apricot and scout apricot, is a tree in the genus ''Prunus''. It was first described by Karl Maximovich in 1883 as a variety of the Siberian apricot (Tibetan apricot) '' Prunus armeniaca''. It is re ...

'' – Manchurian apricot * ''

Prunus mume ''Prunus mume'', the Chinese plum or Japanese apricot, is a tree species in the family Rosaceae. Along with bamboo, the plant is intimately associated with art, literature, and everyday life in China, from where it was then introduced to Kor ...

'' – Mei or Chinese flowering plum * ''

Prunus sibirica ''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 ...

'' – Siberian apricot

Sect. ''Microcerasus''

Species in ''Prunus'' sect. ''Microcerasus'' (Webb & Berthel.) C.K.Schneid. are known as bush

cherries A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The name ...

or dwarf cherries. Selected species: * '' Prunus glandulosa'' * ''

Prunus japonica ''Prunus japonica'' (also ''Cerasus japonica''), also called Japanese bush cherry, Oriental bush cherry, or Korean bush cherry is a shrub species in the genus ''Prunus'' that is widely cultivated for ornamental use. Its native range extends fro ...

'' * '' Prunus prostrata'' * ''

Prunus pumila ''Prunus pumila'', commonly called sand cherry, is a North American species of cherry in the rose family. It is widespread in eastern and central Canada from New Brunswick west to Saskatchewan and the northern United States from Maine to Montana, ...

'' * ''

Prunus tianshanica ''Prunus tianshanica'', the Tianshan cherry, is a species of cherry native to the Tianshan Mountains of Central Asia, preferring to grow at 800-1000m. Description ''Prunus tianshanica'' is a shrub reaching . The bark is grey, turning browner wi ...

'' * ''

Prunus tomentosa ''Prunus tomentosa'' is a species of ''Prunus'' native to northern and western China (including Tibet), Korea, Mongolia, and possibly northern India (Jammu and Kashmir, though probably only cultivated there).Bean, W. J. (1980). ''Trees and Shrubs ...

Sect. ''Prunocerasus''

''Prunus'' sect. ''Prunocerasus'' Koehne includes New World

s and peachbush ('' P. texana''). Selected species: * ''

Prunus americana ''Prunus americana'', commonly called the American plum, wild plum, or Marshall's large yellow sweet plum, is a species of ''Prunus'' native to North America from Saskatchewan and Idaho south to New Mexico and east to Québec, Maine and Florida. ...

'' – American plum * '' Prunus angustifolia'' – sand plum * '' Prunus maritima'' – beach plum * '' Prunus mexicana'' – Mexican plum * ''

Prunus nigra ''Prunus nigra'', the Canada plum, Canadian plum, or black plum, is a species of ''Prunus'' native to eastern North America. Description ''Prunus nigra'' is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing to tall with a trunk up to in diameter, with a ...

'' – Canada plum * ''

Prunus texana ''Prunus texana'', called peachbush, Texas almond cherry, Texas peachbush, sand plum, peach bush, duraznillo and wild peach is native to central and western Texas. Although it looks like peach, it actually belongs to ''Prunus'' sect. ''Prunocera ...

'' – peachbush

Sect. ''Prunus''

''Prunus'' sect. ''Prunus'' includes Old World

s. Selected species: * ''

Prunus cerasifera __NOTOC__ ''Prunus cerasifera'' is a species of plum known by the common names cherry plum and myrobalan plum.Prunus domestica ''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 als ...

'' – European plum * ''

Prunus salicina ''Prunus salicina'' ( syn. ''Prunus triflora'' or ''Prunus thibetica''), commonly called the Japanese plum or Chinese plum, is a small deciduous tree native to China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. It is an introduced species in Korea, Japan, the Un ...

'' – Chinese plum * ''

Prunus simonii ''Prunus simonii'', called apricot plum and Simon plum, is a tree in the genus ''Prunus''. It was first described by Elie-Abel Carrière in 1872 and is native to Hebei province, China. The species is not known in a truly wild state. It has been ...

'' – apricot plum * ''

Prunus spinosa ''Prunus spinosa'', called blackthorn or sloe, is an Old World species of flowering plant in the rose family, Rosaceae. It is locally naturalized in parts of the New World. The fruits are used to make sloe gin in Britain and patxaran in B ...

'' – sloe

Additional sections

Species of the following sections were not presented in the results of Shi et al. (2013). Therefore, their relationship with the sections proposed by Shi et al. (2013) is unclear.

Sect. ''Chamaeamygdalus''

''Prunus'' sect. ''Chamaeamygdalus'' (Spach) Dippel used to be included in the ''Amygdalus''-''Persica'' clade. However, molecular phylogenetic research indicates that it should be excluded from the ''Amygdalus''-''Persica'' clade. The phylogenetic positions of the species in this section are still uncertain. * ''

Prunus tenella ''Prunus tenella'', the 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. It yields small almo ...

'' – Russian almond * ''

Prunus petunnikowii ''Prunus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs from the family Rosaceae. The genus includes plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots and almonds (collectively stonefruit). The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, being native to t ...

Sect. ''Louiseania''

''Prunus'' sect. ''Louiseania'' (Carrière) Yazbek includes two or three Asian species. They are called flowering almond and morphologically close to wild almonds (sect. ''Amygdalus''), but they are more related to bush cherries (sect. ''Microcerasus'') and

apricots An apricot (, ) is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus ''Prunus''. Usually an apricot is from the species '' P. armeniaca'', but the fruits of the other species in ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca'' are also ...

(sect. ''Armeniaca''). According to

nuclear Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the nucleus of the atom: *Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon *Nuclear medicine *Radiation therapy *Nuclear warfare Mathematics * Nuclear space *Nuclear ...

phylogenomic Phylogenomics is the intersection of the fields of evolution and genomics. The term has been used in multiple ways to refer to analysis that involves genome data and evolutionary reconstructions. It is a group of techniques within the larger fields ...

analyses, the type species of sect. ''Louiseania'', '' P. triloba'', is embedded in sect. ''Microcerasus'' and closely related to the '' P. prostrata'', the type species of sect. ''Microcerasus''. However, in the phylogenetic tree based on plastid genome, ''P. triloba'' together with '' P. tomentosa'' (also a member of sect. ''Microcerasus'') and apricots is in a clade that is sister to the core part of sect. ''Microcerasus''. The incongruity is attributable to multiple hybridization events during the speciation of ''P. triloba'', which probably involves species of sect. ''Amygdalus'', sect. ''Armeniaca'', sect. ''Microcerasus'', sect. ''Prunus'', and even subg. ''Cerasus''. * ''

Prunus pedunculata ''Prunus pedunculata'' is a species of ''Prunus'' known in China as longpeduncled almond (长梗扁桃). It is native to China (particularly the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region), Mongolia and nearby sections of Siberia. A small bush, reaching 1 ...

'' * ''

Prunus triloba ''Prunus triloba'', sometimes called flowering plum or flowering almond, a name shared with ''Prunus jacquemontii'',Bailey, L.H.; Bailey, E.Z.; the staff of the Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. ''Hortus third: A concise dictionary of plants c ...

'' * '' Prunus ulmifolia''

Sect. ''Penarmeniaca''

''Prunus'' sect. ''Penarmeniaca'' S.C.Mason is the sister group to the New World section ''Prunocerasus'' and probably the Old World species '' P. tenella''. It includes two New World species. * '' Prunus andersonii'' – desert peach * ''

Prunus fremontii ''Prunus fremontii'' is a North American species of plants in the Rosaceae, rose family, known by the common name desert apricot. It takes its scientific name from John C. Frémont. It is found in northern and western Baja California especially, ...

'' – desert apricot

Notes

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6401215 Plant subgenera