Blade - Lance shaped, 100 mm long, tapering to a fine tip.
Stem leaves -
Stems:
Erect, branched to 5000 mm tall with branches spreading to 2000 mm wide. Grey bark.
Flower stem -
Flower head:
Flowers single or in clusters
Flowers:
Pink
Ovary -
Calyx -
Perianth -
Sepals -
Petals - 5, pink.
Stamens -
Anthers -
Fruit:
Yellow to orange, globular, 100 mm diameter with a velvety skin covering the soft orange flesh that surrounds a hard, network patterned stone that encloses the seed.
Seeds:
Enclosed in the stone. Bitter.
Roots:
Key Characters:
Biology:
Life cycle:
Deciduous perennial tree.
Physiology:
Drought and frost sensitive.
Higher chilling requirement than most stone fruit.
Buds susceptible to cold injury, especially in spring.
Reproduction:
By seed and grafts.
Flowering times:
Seed Biology and Germination:
Vegetative Propagules:
Hybrids:
Allelopathy:
Population Dynamics and Dispersal:
Spread by seed and grafted stock.
Origin and History:
China. Eastern Asia.
Introduced as a fruit tree.
Distribution:
ACT, NSW, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC, WA.
Habitats:
Prefers open sunny areas.
Climate:
Warm to cool temperate regions with winter rainfall. Mediterranean. Requires annual rainfall of more than 635 mm unless it is irrigated.
Soil:
Prefers sandy to loamy well drained soils with a high organic matter content and no free lime.
Plant Associations:
Significance:
Beneficial:
Popular fruit.
Honey plant.
Ornamental.
Detrimental:
Toxicity:
Leaves, flowers, bark and kernels contain cyanide and may cause HCN poisoning.
Of the stone fruit the Peach is the one most often recorded as causing problems but it only rarely causes losses in Australia.
Symptoms:
HCN toxicity.
Legislation:
None.
Management and Control:
Thresholds:
Eradication strategies:
Herbicide resistance:
Biological Control:
Main pests are Two Spotted Mite, Green Peach Aphid, Oriental Fruit Moth, Light Brown Apple Moth, San Jose Scale, Peach Silver Mite.
Diseases include Brown Rot, Transit Rot, Crown Gall, Silverleaf, Curl Leaf, Peach Leaf Curl, Prune Rust.
Related plants:
Almond (Prunus amygdalus, Prunus dulcis or Prunus communis)
American Red Plum (Prunus americana)
Apricot (Prunus armeniaca)
Bird Cherry (Prunus padus)
Bullace (Prunus insititia)
Catalina Cherry (Prunus lyonii)
Cherry (Prunus avium)
Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)
Cherry Plum (Prunus cerasifera)
Chinese Cherry (Prunus japonica)
Chinese Flowering Almond (Prunus glandulosa)
Chokecherry or Virginian Bird Cherry (Prunus virginiana)
Flowering Almond (Prunus triloba)
Fuji Cherry (Prunus incisa)
Goose Plum (Prunus hortulana)
Holy-leaved Cherry (Prunus ilicifolia)
Japanese Apricot (Prunus mume)
Japanese Cherry (Prunus sargentii)
Japanese Flowering Cherry (Prunus serrulata)
Japanese Plum (Prunus salicina)
Manchurian Cherry (Prunus maakii)
Nectarine (Prunus persica var. nectarina)
Peach (Prunus persica var. persica)
Perfumed Cherry or St Lucia Cherry (Prunus mahaleb)
Pin Cherry or Wild Cherry (Prunus pennsylvanica)
Plum (Prunus X domestica or Prunus spinosa)
Portugal Laurel (Prunus lusitanica)
Rosebud Cherry (Prunus subhirtella)
Sour Cherry (Prunus cerasus)
Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium)
Taiwan Cherry (Prunus campanulata)
Wild Cherry (Prunus serotina)
Yoshino Cherry (Prunus yedoensis)
Plants of similar appearance:
References:
Bodkin, F. (1986). Encyclopaedia Botanica. (Angus and Robertson, Australia). P842.
Everist, S.L. (1974). Poisonous Plants of Australia. (Angus and Robertson, Sydney). P608.
Lazarides, M. and Hince, B. (1993). CSIRO handbook of economic plants of Australia. (CSIRO, Melbourne). #1027.9.
Reid, R.L. (1990) The Manual of Australian Agriculture. (Butterworths, Sydney). P182-183.
Acknowledgments:
Collated by HerbiGuide. Phone 08 98444064 or www.herbiguide.com.au for more information.