Prunus argentea
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Prunus
Species:
P. argentea
Binomial name
Prunus argentea
Synonyms
  • Amygdalus argentea Lam.[2]
  • Amygdalus orientalis Mill.
  • Amygdalus orientalis subsp. mesopotamica Browicz
  • Amygdalus variabilis C.K.Schneid.
  • Prunus orientalis (Mill.) Koehne non Prunus orientalis Walp
  • Amygdalus zielinski Browicz

Prunus argentea, sometimes called the silver almond, is a species of wild almond found in the Levant, Turkey, Iraq and western Iran. It is a thorny shrub 0.5 to 3 m tall, with rough gray or brown bark. Its leaves are silvery white due to a covering of pubescent hairs.[3] The leaves have a 1-5 mm petiole and the leaf blades are 10 to 44 mm long and 10 to 23 mm wide. Its inflorescences have red hypanthia and sepals, and pale pink or pink petals. The flowers are borne on a pedicel about 1 to 3 mm long, which lengthens to 2 to 7 mm when the fruit is fully developed.[3] It is found growing in a variety of habitats; open oak woodlands, rocky slopes, dry silted areas, and steep banks of streams, at 500 to 2000 m above sea level.[3] A genetic study showed that its closest relative is probably Prunus haussknechtii.[4][5]

Uses

In warmer areas of Europe it is occasionally cultivated as an ornamental garden plant for its fragrant rose-pink flowers and attractive foliage, but it must be planted in a protected spot for best results.[6]

References

  1. ↑ J. Arnold. Arbor. 3: 27. 1922
  2. ↑ Encycl., 1, 1: 103. 1783
  3. 1 2 3 Yazbek, Mariana Mostafa (February 2010). Systematics of Prunus Subgenus Amygdalus: Monograph and Phylogeny (PDF) (PhD). Cornell University. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  4. ↑ Vafadar, Mahnaz; Kazempour Osaloo, Shahrokh; Attar, Farideh (31 March 2014). "Molecular phylogeny of the genus Amygdalus (Rosaceae) based on nrDNA ITS and cpDNA trnS-trnG sequences". Turkish Journal of Botany. 38 (3): 439–452. doi:10.3906/bot-1303-46. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  5. ↑ "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Prunus argentea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 13 February 2014.
  6. ↑ Gwyn Lewis, B.M. (1906). A Concise Handbook of Garden Shrubs. London: Methuen. p. 120.
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