List of Prunus species facts for kids
The Prunus family is a huge group of plants that includes many of your favorite fruits! Think of delicious cherries, juicy plums, sweet peaches, and crunchy almonds. All these come from different types of Prunus plants. Scientists call these different types "species."
Keeping track of all the different Prunus species is a big job. There are hundreds of them! Scientists use special lists to organize these plants. These lists help them understand how different Prunus plants are related and where they grow around the world.
Discovering Prunus Species
Scientists use special databases to keep track of all the different plant species. These databases are like giant online encyclopedias for plants. They help botanists (plant scientists) around the world share information.
Plants of the World Online (POWO) List
One of the most important lists is from a group called Plants of the World Online. As of March 2024, they recognize many species in the Prunus family. These are just some of the amazing plants they have listed:
- P. africana
- P. americana (American Plum)
- P. amygdalus (Almond)
- P. armeniaca (Apricot)
- P. avium (Sweet Cherry)
- P. campanulata (Taiwan Cherry)
- P. caroliniana (Carolina Laurelcherry)
- P. cerasifera (Cherry Plum)
- P. cerasus (Sour Cherry)
- P. davidiana (Peach)
- P. domestica (Common Plum)
- P. fruticosa (Dwarf Cherry)
- P. glandulosa (Dwarf Flowering Almond)
- P. grayana (Japanese Bird Cherry)
- P. ilicifolia (Hollyleaf Cherry)
- P. incisa (Fuji Cherry)
- P. japonica (Korean Cherry)
- P. laurocerasus (Cherry Laurel)
- P. lusitanica (Portugal Laurel)
- P. maackii (Amur Chokecherry)
- P. mahaleb (Mahaleb Cherry)
- P. maritima (Beach Plum)
- P. maximowiczii (Miyami Cherry)
- P. mexicana (Bigtree Plum)
- P. mume (Japanese Apricot)
- P. napaulensis (Nepal Cherry)
- P. nigra (Canadian Plum)
- P. nipponica (Japanese Alpine Cherry)
- P. padus (Bird Cherry)
- P. pensylvanica (Pin Cherry)
- P. persica (Peach)
- P. pumila (Sand Cherry)
- P. salicina (Japanese Plum)
- P. sargentii (Sargent's Cherry)
- P. serotina (Black Cherry)
- P. serrula (Paperbark Cherry)
- P. serrulata (Japanese Flowering Cherry)
- P. sibirica (Siberian Apricot)
- P. spinosa (Blackthorn or Sloe)
- P. subcordata (Klamath Plum)
- P. tenella (Dwarf Russian Almond)
- P. tomentosa (Nanking Cherry)
- P. triloba (Flowering Almond)
- P. virginiana (Chokecherry)
- P. zippeliana
Hybrid Prunus Species
Sometimes, different Prunus species can mix together to create new types. Scientists call these "hybrids." They often happen when two different species cross-pollinate. Here are some examples of hybrid Prunus plants:
- Prunus × chichibuensis
- Prunus × dasycarpa
- Prunus × eminens
- Prunus × lannesiana
- Prunus × sieboldii
- Prunus × subhirtella
- Prunus × yedoensis (Yoshino Cherry)
Other Important Plant Lists
Besides Plants of the World Online, other groups also keep track of plant species. These include The Plant List, the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), and the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Sometimes, these lists might have slightly different names or include species that others consider to be the same. This is because scientists are always learning new things about plants and how to classify them!
Ancient Prunus Plants: Fossil Species
Did you know that some Prunus species lived millions of years ago? Scientists find their remains, like leaves, fruits, or wood, turned into fossils. These fossils help us learn about plants that existed long before humans did. It's like a plant history book written in stone!
Studying fossil Prunus helps us understand how these plants have changed over time and how they spread across the Earth.
Examples of Fossil Prunus Species
Here are a few examples of Prunus species that have been found as fossils:
- P. aegaea (found in Europe, from the Early Miocene epoch)
- P. allenbyensis (found in Canada, from the Ypresian age)
- P. antiqua (found in Italy, from the Oligocene epoch)
- P. axelrodi (found in Alaska, from the Eocene epoch)
- P. cathybrownae (found in the USA, from the Ypresian age)
- P. creedensis (found in the USA, from the Oligocene epoch)
- P. cylindrica (found in Germany, from the Middle Pliocene epoch)
- P. dakotensis (found in the USA, from the Eocene epoch)
- P. daphnogene (found in Croatia, from the Miocene epoch)
- P. deperdita (found in France, from the Late Paleocene epoch)
- P. gummosa (found in the USA, from the Eocene epoch)
- P. hanhardtii (found in Switzerland, possibly Miocene epoch)
- P. langsdorfii (found in Europe, from the Early Oligocene to Middle Miocene epochs)
- P. micropyrenula (found in Poland, from the mid-late Oligocene epoch)
- P. nanodes (found in Europe, from the Miocene to Pliocene epochs)
- P. olsonii (found in the USA, from the Middle Eocene epoch)
- P. palaeocerasus (found in Austria, from the Middle Miocene epoch)
- P. rodgersae (found in the USA, from the Middle Miocene epoch)
- P. scottii (found in Greenland, from the Eocene epoch)
- P. stewarti (found in the USA, from the Ypresian age)
- P. stipitata (found in the Netherlands, from the Pliocene epoch)
- P. tenuiputamenta (found in the Netherlands, from the Pliocene epoch)
- P. variabilis (found in the USA, from the Eocene epoch)
- P. weinsteinii (found in the USA, from the Middle Eocene epoch)
- P. wutuensis (found in China, from the Early Eocene epoch)
