Prunus mugus facts for kids

Prunus mugus is a special kind of cherry plant. People sometimes call it the "supine cherry" because it grows low to the ground. You can find this plant in the mountains of Yunnan province in China, and also in nearby parts of Myanmar and Tibet.

This plant likes to grow in thick bushes on mountain slopes. It lives in a cold, windy area called the krummholz zone. Here, trees often grow twisted and small. Prunus mugus can be found very high up, from 3,200 to 3,700 meters (about 10,500 to 12,100 feet) or even 4,075 meters (about 13,370 feet) above sea level. A scientist named Heinrich von Handel-Mazzetti discovered it. He named it after a dwarf mountain pine called Pinus mugo.

What Does the Supine Cherry Look Like?

In its natural home, Prunus mugus is a low-lying shrub. It grows to be at most 1 meter (about 3 feet) tall. The bark on older branches is a grayish-brown color, called taupe. Younger branches are also brown or taupe. They are covered with many soft, flat hairs.

The winter buds are shaped like an oval. They are smooth and have pointed tips. The small leaf-like parts called stipules are long and thin, about 5 to 8 millimeters (0.2 to 0.3 inches) long. They have tiny glands and fringes along their edges. The leaf stems, called petioles, are short, about 2 to 7 millimeters (0.08 to 0.28 inches) long, and smooth.

The leaves of P. mugus are shaped like an egg, wider at the top. They are about 0.7 to 2 centimeters (0.28 to 0.79 inches) wide and 1 to 3.5 centimeters (0.39 to 1.38 inches) long. The bottom of the leaf is wedge-shaped. The edges have sharp, double-sawtooth points. The tips of the leaves can be blunt or sharp. Each side of the main leaf vein has 5 to 9 smaller veins. The underside of the leaves is light green and smooth. The top side is dark green and smooth, though sometimes it has soft hairs when young.

Flowers and Fruit

The flowers grow in small groups, usually one or two flowers together. The special leaves around the flowers are oblong and about 2 to 3 millimeters (0.08 to 0.12 inches) wide and 5 to 8 millimeters (0.2 to 0.3 inches) long. Their undersides are smooth, and their tops have soft hairs. They also have hairy, glandular edges. There is no main flower stalk.

The individual flower stalks, called pedicels, are 0.3 to 3 centimeters (0.12 to 1.18 inches) long and smooth. The cup-like part of the flower, called the hypanthium, is tube-shaped. It is about 2 to 3 millimeters (0.08 to 0.12 inches) wide and 6 to 8 millimeters (0.2 to 0.3 inches) long. The sepals, which are like small leaves protecting the bud, are long and triangular. They are about 2 to 3 millimeters (0.08 to 0.12 inches) long. Their edges are serrated (saw-toothed) and have glands. Their tips are pointed or sharp.

The petals are white to pink, often a soft shell-pink color. They are nearly round and have wavy edges. Each flower has 30 to 45 stamens, which are the parts that make pollen. The smooth style, which is the part that receives pollen, sticks out far after the flower opens. It is much longer than the stamens.

The fruit is a dark red drupe, which is a type of fleshy fruit with a hard pit inside, like a cherry. When ripe, it is usually about 0.8 centimeters (0.31 inches) wide and 1 centimeter (0.39 inches) long. The hard pit inside has a very bumpy surface. The flowers usually open at the same time as the leaves, from May to July. The fruits ripen from July to August, depending on how warm it is in that area.

How People Use It

When Prunus mugus is grown in lower areas, it grows taller and bushier. Its stems become stiff and thick. The flowers are described as "more curious than beautiful."

Scientists have tried using P. mugus as a special base plant for growing sweet cherries. This base plant, called a dwarfing rootstock, helps the cherry tree stay small. However, it is very hard to grow new Prunus mugus plants from cuttings. Because of this, it is not used much by businesses that grow cherries.