Prunus

Abstract

The genus Prunus includes about 430 species of deciduous or evergreen trees and shrubs naturally widespread throughout temperate regions. It belongs to the subfamily Prunoideae, within the Rosaceae family. While some species do not yield edible fruit and are used for decoration, others are grown commercially for fruit and 'nut' production. Most of these species are originally from Asia or Southern Europe, such as peach (Prunus persica), nectarine (P. persica var. nectarina), European plum (P. domestica), Japanese plum (P. salicina), apricot (P. armeniaca), mume or Japanese apricot (P. mume), sweet cherry (P. avium), sour cherry (P. cerasus) and almond (P. amygdalus).