Japanese plums tend to be the larger of the two and have a juicier, softer flesh, while European plums are particularly well-suited to drying and cooking (Herbst 2001). Blackthorn or sloe is Prunus spinosa and is a common European species (Bender and Bender 2005). For example, Prunus domestica is of European origin or southwest Asia and Prunus salicina, the Japanese plum, is of Chinese origin. There are many species of plums and hundreds of varieties that are cultivated throughout the world, with most placed in two categories: Japanese (which originated in China) and European (Herbst 2001). ![]() Treated as a distinct subgenus by some authors. Leaves in bud rolled inwards flowers very short-stalked fruit velvety. subcordata (Klamath, Oregon, or Sierra plum) Leaves in bud folded inwards flowers 3-5 together fruit smooth, often wax-bloomed. domestica (species of most "plums" and "prunes" sold as such) Leaves in bud rolled inwards flowers one to three together fruit smooth, often wax-bloomed. The subgenus is divided into three sections: ![]() Apricots were cultivated in Mesopotamia, and it was known as armanu in the Akkadian language. Other historians point that Mesopotamia as a clue to the Latin name. Armenian sources support their claims by referring to a 6,000-year-old apricot pit found in an archaeological site near Yerevan (Petrosian and Underwood). The fruit Prunus armeniaca (apricot) gained its name from the beliefs of Pliny the Elder, a Roman historian and scientist of the first century, who maintained that the apricot was a kind of a plum, and had originally come from Armenia (Petrosian and Underwood). They may be round or oval shaped and range in size from one to three inches in diameter (Herbst 2001). The fruit of plums all have smooth and deeply colored skin, which can be yellow, green, indigo blue, purple, red, and anything in between (Herbst 2001). The term stone fruit (or stonefruit) can be a synonym for "drupe" or, more typically, it can mean just the fruit of the Prunus genus. In addition to plums, some flowering plants that produce drupes are coffee, jujube, mango, olive, most palms (including date, coconut and oil palms), pistachio and all members of the genus Prunus, including the almond (in which the mesocarp is somewhat leathery), apricot, cherry, nectarine, and peach. Other fleshy fruits may have a stony enclosure that comes from the seed coat surrounding the seed. The definitive characteristic of a drupe is that the hard, lignified stone (or pit) is derived from the ovary wall of the flower. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries. A drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a shell (the pit or stone) of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. The Prunus subgenus, which includes the apricots and plums, is distinguished from other subgenera (peaches, cherries, bird cherries, etc.) in the shoots having a terminal bud and the side buds being solitary (not clustered), the flowers being grouped one to five together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one side, and a smooth stone. There are around 430 species of Prunus spread throughout the northern temperate regions of the globe. The genus Prunus includes the plums, cherries, peaches, apricots, and almonds. Rosaceae is one of the largest families of flowering plants with about 3,400 species, including apples, berries, peaches, plums, cherries, the hawthorn tree, the mountain ash, and many others. Prunus is a genus of plants in the family Rosaceae. ![]() Numerous varieties of plums have been developed for different types of fruit, growing characteristics, and so forth. In addition, plum trees are often planted as ornamental trees, with various species treasured for the color of their leaves and their showy and delicate flowers. For humans, they provide a healthy source of food that is also delightful to the senses of taste and touch. Ecologically, plum trees provide flowers for pollinating insects and fruit to be eaten by animals. Plums (the tree and the fruit) provide various values.
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