Prunus eremophila, also known by its common name Mojave Desert plum, is a rare species of plum native to California.[2]
| Prunus eremophila | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Genus: | Prunus |
| Subgenus: | Prunus subg. Prunus |
| Section: | Prunus sect. Emplectocladus |
| Species: | P. eremophila
|
| Binomial name | |
| Prunus eremophila Prigge
| |
Description
editPrunus eremophila is a bulky shrub with tangled, thorny branches. It can reach over 2 meters (6+1⁄2 ft) in maximum height.[3]
The deciduous leaves have toothed, pointed, oval blades up to 2 or 3 centimeters (3⁄4 or 1+1⁄4 inches) long. They are lightly hairy in texture.[citation needed]
It blooms in March to April.[3] The flowers occur singly or in pairs, each bearing small white petals. Either the stamens or pistils abort, leaving female or male flowers.[3]
The fruit is orange-rust[3] or a yellowish, fuzzy drupe up to 1.6 cm (3⁄4 in) wide, with a thin, dry pulp.[3]
The plant was described to science only in 2001[3] or 2002 and little is known about its ecology.[4][5][6]
Distribution
editThe shrub is endemic to the Mojave Desert within northeastern San Bernardino County, California, where it is known only from the Vontrigger Hills and Lanfair Valley of the eastern Mojave National Preserve.[3] It occurs in desert scrub habitat.[7]
Conservation
editThe plant occurs in the Mojave National Preserve, so is protected from some human activity, but is a Critically Endangered species threatened by off-road vehicles, grazing, mining, and climate change.[4]
References
edit- ^ NatureServe (2022). "Prunus eremophila". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T158675981A159666114. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T158675981A159666114.en. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ NRCS. "Prunus eremophila". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 14 October 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g Mackay, Pam (2013). Mojave Desert Wildflowers: A Field Guide to Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs of the Mojave Desert, Including the Mojave National Preserve, Death Valley National Park, and Joshua Tree National Park (2nd ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. p. 173. ISBN 978-0-7627-9388-4.
- ^ a b The Nature Conservancy
- ^ Prigge, B.A. (2002). "A new species of Prunus (Rosaceae) from the Mojave Desert of California". Madroño. 49 (4): 285–8. JSTOR 41425478.
- ^ "Prunus eremophila Calflora".
- ^ California Native Plant Society Rare Plant Profile