2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Prunus (Latin Prunus) Is a flowering fruit tree from the Rosaceae family. Its second name is plum.
Description
Prunus are deciduous trees or shrubs equipped with shortened shoots ending in thorns. Simple alternate leaves of the prunus, as a rule, are lanceolate and devoid of lobes, but small nectaries can often be seen on the leaf stalks.
Prunus bloom starts in the spring, and this culture most often begins to bloom even before the leaves appear on the branches, and sometimes its flowering starts simultaneously with their deployment. Large prunus flowers are characterized by the correct shape and can be either simple or double. These flowers are located singly or in low-flowered inflorescences, and their color can vary from white to dark pink.
And the fruits of prunus look like oval or rounded drupes, inside which there is a juicy tasty pulp. At the same time, the color of their skin can be arbitrarily varied - purple, red, pale green, yellow, etc. In addition, a characteristic bluish waxy bloom can often be seen on the skin of prunus fruits. And the taste of the pulp ranges from sweet to sour.
Where grows
Prunus is a plant native to the northern temperate regions, but different varieties of this culture can be grown quite successfully in a wide variety of areas.
Usage
Prunus is widely used in floristry - the flowering branches of these shrubs are an excellent material for composing a wide variety of spring bouquets or compositions. Old bizarrely curved branches densely covered with flowers look especially great - arrangements with the inclusion of such branches look especially impressive and invariably turn out to be the most memorable. By the way, prunus twigs are often included in compositions with a minimum of other materials - this approach allows you to emphasize their natural beauty. And if, according to one of the old beliefs, you put plum blossom twigs in the bedroom, they will contribute to the revival or flowering of love! But this plant, alas, cannot boast of its durability.
And the fruits of prunus are actively used for food, both fresh and processed - they are canned, added to baked goods and fruit salads, compotes are cooked on their basis, etc. Yes, and these fruits are very useful for health, because they can significantly reduce the risk of developing diabetes, cancer, various cardiovascular ailments and a number of other extremely unpleasant conditions.
Prunus is also used in folk medicine, and not only fruits are used - all kinds of decoctions and tinctures are prepared from leaves, flowers or even bark.
Prunus wood also does not go unnoticed - it is very beautiful and durable, only it is very expensive, and therefore it is most often used for inlays.
Growing and caring
Prunus seedlings are usually planted either in the fall, about a month before the onset of the first frost, or with the arrival of early spring, before the buds begin to bloom. As for the best place for placing planting holes, it is best to allocate a place for these purposes either in the southern or in the southwestern part of the garden. At the same time, it is important to make sure that this place is well lit or slightly shaded, and, which is especially important, reliably protected from cold winds!
As a rule, prunus begins to bear fruit about three to five years after its planting, while the peak yield falls on the period when the trees are between ten and fifteen years old.
