Prunus (genus)
- Scope note
- Genus containing over 400 species of flowering shrubs and trees, including the cultivated almond, peach, plum, cherry, and apricot. Some classifications separate peaches, almonds, and flowering almonds into the separate genus Amygdalus. However, a recent DNA study concluded that Prunus is monophyletic and is descended from one Eurasian ancestor. The earliest known fossil Prunus dates from the middle Eocene of the Princeton Chert of British Columbia.
- Date of creation: 16-Dec-2024
Accepted term: 16-Dec-2024