Prunus Ilicifolia

''Prunus ilicifolia'' (Common names: hollyleaf cherry, evergreen cherry;Fire Effects Information Service, USDA Forest Service

/ref> ''islay'' - Salinan Native American) is native to the chaparral areas of coastal California (from Mendocino County to San Diego County), Baja California, and Baja California Sur. as well as the desert chaparral areas of the Mojave Desert.

''Prunus ilicifolia'' is an evergreen shrub to tree, producing edible cherries, with shiny and spiny toothed leaves similar in appearance to those of holly. This resemblance is the source of both the common name "holly-leaved cherry" and the scientific epithet "ilicifolia" (''Ilex''-leaved). It grows tall, with thick, alternate leaves in length. It has small white flowers growing in clusters, similar in appearance to most members of the rose family, Rosaceae, flowering from March to May. The flowers are terminal on small stalks, with the youngest at the cluster center. The purple to black fruit is sweet, with a very thin pulp around a large single stone (drupe).

The plant is prized for cultivation, showy and easily grown from seed, and has been cultivated for centuries as a food source, and tolerates twice yearly pruning when often used as a hedge. The plant likes full sun, loose open soil (porous), and tolerates drought conditions well, but needs regular watering when young.

Despite its name, it is not a true cherry ( ''P.'' subg. ''Cerasus'') species. It is traditionally included in ''P.'' subg. ''Laurocerasus'', but molecular research indicates it is nested with species of ''P.'' subg. ''Padus''. ''Ilicifolia'' or “ilex foliage,” means “holly-like leaves” in Latin

Description

It is an evergreen shrub or small tree approaching in height,Jepson Flora
''Prunus ilicifolia''
/ref> with dense, hard leaves ( sclerophyllous foliage). The leaves are long with a petiole and spiny margins, somewhat resembling those of the holly. The leaves are dark green when mature and generally shiny on top, and have a smell resembling almonds when crushed; these are poisonous to eat, but not to handle. The flowers are small (1–5 mm), white, produced on racemes in the spring. The fruit is a cherry 12–25 mm in diameter, sweet in taste, with little flesh surrounding the smooth seed.Munz, Philip A. 1973. A California flora and supplement. Berkeley, CA:
University of California Press.

Subspecies

There are two subspecies:Jepson Flora
''Prunus ilicifolia'' subsp. ''ilicifolia''
/ref>Jepson Flora
''Prunus ilicifolia'' subsp. ''lyonii''
/ref>Schoenherr, A. A. (1993). ''A Natural History of California''. University of California Press, Berkeley.
* ''P. ilcifolia'' subsp. ''ilicifolia'' - mainland California and Baja California, red fruit 12–18 mm diameter, leaves dentate
* ''P. ilicifolia'' subsp. ''lyonii'' (Eastw.) Raven - Catalina cherry, Channel Islands of California ( San Clemente, Santa Catalina, Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Island islands), blue-black fruit 15–25 mm diameter, leaves entire

Distribution and habitat

''Prunus ilicifolia'' is native to California chaparral and foothill woodlands along the Coast Ranges below . Its distribution extends from northern Baja California along the California coast to the northernmost extent of the Coast Ranges, as well as into the desert chaparral areas of the Mojave Desert. In chaparral communities, it tends to inhabit north-facing slopes, erosion channels, or other moist, cool sites. This is the only species of the genus ''Prunus'' native to California's Santa Monica Mountains, which divide the Los Angeles Basin from the San Fernando Valley.

It is a persistent member of chaparral communities, being slow-growing but long-lived; common chaparral flora associates are toyon, western poison-oak and coffeeberry. In the absence of fire, ''P. ilicifolia'' will outlive or outshade surrounding vegetation, making room for seedlings. Eventually, it will form extensive stands codominated by scrub oak.

Ecology

Although it will resprout from the stump after fires, the seeds are not fire-adapted like those of many other chaparral plants.Keeley, Jon E. 1987. Role of fire in seed germination of woody taxa in California chaparral. ''Ecology'' 68(2): 434-443; cited i
FEIS
/ref> Instead, it relies on the natural death of surrounding vegetation during long periods of fire-free conditions to make room for its seedlings.

Though the seeds are often reported to require sunlight to germinate, germination rates of nearly 100% have been achieved with wild-collected seed buried completely in pots with a peatlite mix.

The caterpillars of the pale swallowtail ('' Papilio eurymedon'') feed on this and other members of the riparian woodland plant community. It is also a larval host to the California hairstreak, Lorquin's admiral, Nevada buckmoth, and western tiger swallowtail. Bees are attracted to it.

Cultivation

''Prunus ilicifolia'' is used in California native plants and wildlife gardens, and drought-tolerant sustainable landscaping.

Uses

The pulp of the cherry is edible. However, the seeds of the hollyleaf cherry are considered to be toxic, and the plant must undergo certain leaching processes to make it safe for consumption. Native Americans fermented the fruit into an intoxicating drink. Some also cracked the dried cherries and made meal from the seeds after grinding and leaching them. It has also been made into jam.

The method of preparation for the cherry was to first extract and crush the kernel in a mortar, and the resulting powder would then be leached in order to eliminate remaining bad chemicals. The final step was to boil the leached powder into an atole. Once this process was completed, Native Californians would then make soup base, tortillas, or tamale-like foods using the resulting ground meal. Other times, the kernel would be kept whole, leached to remove its hydrocyanic acid content, roasted for a couple hours, and then used to make cakes or balls.

Aside from food, the hollyleaf cherry was also used for medicinal purposes by some Native Californian tribes, including the Diegueño and the Cahuilla. Specifically, infusions made from the bark and roots of hollyleaf cherry plants would be used as treatment for common colds and coughs.

References

External links

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Desert-Tropicals: Hollyleaf Cherry (Prunus ilicifolia)
access date March 26, 2010

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q2114443, from2=Q39779740, from3=Q15542189

ilicifolia
Flora of California
Flora of Baja California
Flora of Baja California Sur
Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
Natural history of the California Coast Ranges
Natural history of the Channel Islands of California
Natural history of the Mojave Desert
Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges
Natural history of the San Francisco Bay Area
Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains
Natural history of the Transverse Ranges
Trees of Mediterranean climate
Drought-tolerant trees
Garden plants of North America
Butterfly food plants
Plants described in 1839
Desert fruits
Taxa named by Wilhelm Gerhard Walpers