''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. 1696][Hogan, Sean, chief consultant. 2003, 2004. "Flora A Gardener's Encyclopedia", Global Nook Publishing Pty Ltd, Timber Press. . Volume 2, pp. 1093] is a plant species in the
Rosaceae
Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera.
The name is derived from the type genus '' Rosa''. The family includes herbs, shrubs, and trees. Most species are deciduous, but som ...
family. It is also known by the common names David's peach
and Chinese wild peach.
It is native to China, preferring to grow in forests and thickets, on slopes in mountain valleys, and in waste fields, from 800 to 3200m.
It is resistant to frost, and to a number of pests and diseases of cultivated peach, and is the subject of many studies for the genetic improvement of peaches.
Description
Deciduous, upright tree.
* Height and Spread: Reaches a maximum height and spread of 9 m (30 ft) by 9 m (30 ft).
* Branches: Young branches whippy, upright,
and smooth.
* Bark: smooth, dark purplish-red
* Leaves: Dark green,
glabrous leaves are lanceolate-narrow ovate in shape, ranging in length from 5–12 cm (2–5 in).
Leaf point is long and slender, tapering to a point;
leaf margins finely toothed.
Petioles are glandular.
* Inflorescences: Flowers in late winter-early spring
or in February.
** Flowers: 2.5 cm (1 in) wide
and white to pale pink
to rosy
in color.
** Pedicels: Very short.
* Fruit: Yellow, furry, edible.
Cultivation
Fully hardy and prefers full sun.
In China, it is largely used as an ornamental tree, and the fruit is eaten but not prized. In peach growing regions throughout the world, it is used as a source of rootstocks.
Varieties
* ''P. davidiana'' var. ''alba'' has white flowers.
* ''P. davidiana'' var. ''rubra'' has deep rosy-colored flowers.
Etymology
''Prunus'' is the ancient Latin name for plum trees. ''Davidiana'' is named for L'Abbé
Armand David
Armand David, CM (7 September 1826, Espelette – 10 November 1900, Paris) was a Lazarist missionary Catholic priest as well as a zoologist and a botanist from the French Basque Country.
Several species, such as Père David's deer ...
(1826-1900), a missionary and collector of Chinese plants.
[Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. (hardback), (paperback). pp 135, 316]
References
External links
*
{{Peaches
davidiana
Flora of China
Ornamental trees
Peaches
Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN
Taxa named by Élie-Abel Carrière