''Prunus kansuensis'' (), sometimes called the Chinese bush peach, is a putative species of

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 ...

native to China. It is found in Gansu, Guizhou, Hubei, Qinghai, Shaanxi and Sichuan provinces. It is a shrub or tree tall, preferring to grow at above sea level. A genetic and morphological study has shown that it is conspecific with ''

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

'', the cultivated peach. ''P.kansuensis'' is being investigated as a source for rootstocks and for crop improvement due to its resistance to multiple diseases, to drought, and to frost. It is unaffected by peach mosaic virus, resistant to the root-knot nematode ''

Meloidogyne incognita ''Meloidogyne incognita'' (root-knot nematode, RKN), also known as the southern root-nematode or cotton root-knot nematode is a plant-parasitic roundworm in the family Heteroderidae. This nematode is one of the four most common species worldwid ...

'', and tolerates winter temperatures down to . Prunus stones-kansuensis persica davidiana

Description

''Prunus kansuensis'' can be difficult to distinguish from its close relatives '' P.mira'' (Tibetan peach), '' P.davidiana'' (Chinese wild peach), and '' P.persica'' (domestic peach), especially if only vegetative characters are used. Many specimens of ''P.kansuensis'' are shrubs, whereas most specimens of the other species are trees. ''P.kansuensis'' and ''P.mira'' have smooth endocarps (covering of the seed) but ''P.davidiana'' and ''P.persica'' endocarps have the typically pitted appearance seen in domestic peaches. ''P.kansuensis'' can be distinguished from ''P.mira'' by having externally pubescent (or rarely subglabrous) sepals; ''P.mira'' sepals are externally glabrous. ''P.davidiana'' mesocarps (the flesh of the fruits) dry out, the other species' fruits remain moist. ''P.davidiana'' has a number of other distinguishing characters, and is also genetically divergent from the other peaches. ''P.kansuensis'' winter buds are ovoid to long ovoid and glabrous, ''P.persica'' winter buds are conical and pubescent. ''P.kansuensis'' petioles are about long, ''P.persica'' petioles are about long. There are subtle but inconsistent differences in the leaves, with ''P.kansuensis'' leaves typically a bit shorter and with fewer serrations per unit length than ''P.persica''. There are also subtle difference in floral characters, the most obvious being that the styles in ''P.kansuensis'' flowers are longer than the stamens, with ''P.persica'' styles shorter (or at most equal to) their stamens.

Uses

In China it is used as a

rootstock A rootstock is part of a plant, often an underground part, from which new above-ground growth can be produced. It could also be described as a stem with a well developed root system, to which a bud from another plant is grafted. It can refer to ...

for cultivated peaches and almonds, and sometimes grown as an ornamental for its profuse shell-pink flowers which blossom in early spring. When cultivated and tended, it often takes the tree form. ''P.kansuensis'' is a

ruderal species A ruderal species is a plant species that is first to colonize disturbed lands. The disturbance may be natural for example, wildfires or avalanchesor the consequences of human activities, such as construction ( of roads, of buildings, mining, e ...

and is used in the process of returning farmland to forest, since it can provide some income to farmers during the transition. Its white-fleshed fruit is small, relatively flavorless, and is not generally considered salable, although some people cultivate and eat them locally. The fruit is eaten by the endangered golden snubnosed monkeys ('' Rhinopithecus roxellana'').

Notes

References

External links

* {{Peaches kansuensis Peaches Trees of China Endemic flora of China Flora of Qinghai Flora of North-Central China Flora of South-Central China Plants described in 1922 Ornamental trees Taxa named by Alfred Rehder