Prunus subg. Padus

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Prunus subg. Padus is a subgenus of Prunus, characterised by having racemose inflorescences. Padus was originally a distinct genus, but genetic and morphological studies have shown that Padus is polyphyletic.[1][2] It has been proposed that all the racemose taxa within Prunus (Padus, Maddenia, Laurocerasus and Pygeum) are incorporated into a broad-sense Prunus subg. Padus.[3]

Prunus subg. Padus
Prunus virginiana
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom:Plantae
Clade:Tracheophytes
Clade:Angiosperms
Clade:Eudicots
Clade:Rosids
Order:Rosales
Family:Rosaceae
Genus:Prunus
Subgenus:Prunus subg. Padus
(Mill.) Peterm.
Species

See text

Species

Padus

Species formerly included in the genus Padus are mostly incorporated into this subgenus, except P. maackii and P. xingshanensis which are included in Prunus subg. Cerasus.[4] They are deciduous and have small, sour fruit usually only palatable to birds, hence the name bird cherries. Bird cherries are native throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere, including:[5][1]

Maddenia

Species formerly included in the genus Maddenia (Chinese: 假稠李, false bird cherries, or 臭樱, odorous cherries) form a monophyletic group. They are similar to bird cherries but lack petals. There are five species:[6][7][8]

  • Prunus fujianensis – Fujian false bird cherry, southeastern China
  • Prunus gongshanensis – Gongshan false bird cherry, southwestern China
  • Prunus himalayana – Himalayan false bird cherry, southwestern China, Myanmar, Himalaya
  • Prunus hypoleuca (synonyms: , Prunus incisoserrata) – false bird cherry, China
  • Prunus hypoxantha – Sichuan false bird cherry, western to central China

Laurocerasus

Species formerly included in the genus Laurocerasus (cherry laurels) are evergreen and distributed in subtropics and tropics. Examples are:[citation needed]

Pygeum

The Pygeum group is monophyletic if P. africana (possibly as well as P. crassifolia) is excluded. All the species formerly included in the genus Pygeum, except P. africana (and P. crassifolia), are native to tropical Asia and Oceania. They are similar to cherry laurels but lack petals. Examples are:[9]

References

  • North Dakota State University agriculture information page about Prunus virginiana [1]