Prunus minutiflora
| Prunus minutiflora | |
|---|---|
| |
| Leaves and stems | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Spermatophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Genus: | Prunus |
| Subgenus: | Prunus subg. Prunus |
| Section: | Prunus sect. Emplectocladus |
| Species: | P. minutiflora
|
| Binomial name | |
| Prunus minutiflora | |
| Synonyms[3][4] | |
Prunus minutiflora, commonly known as the Texas almond,[5] is a shrub native to Texas in the United States and Chihuahua in northern Mexico.[6]
Taxonomy
[edit]The species was described in the Boston Journal of Natural History in 1850 by George Engelmann and Asa Gray[7] based on a holotype collected by Ferdinand Lindheimer at Comanche Spring in New Braunfels, Texas[8] in 1846.[9] 'Minutiflora' means "minute flower" and refers to the diminutive flowers of this species.[10]
Description
[edit]Texas almond is a dense[7] thicket-forming deciduous shrub reaching a height of 0.91 metres (3 feet).[11] Branches have a zigzag shape[12] and are weakly thorny.[13] Twigs have axillary end buds and are canescent.[13]
Flowers
[edit]
P. minutiflora is dioecious, having male and female flowers on separate plants,[14] which is rare for Prunus.[15] Blooms are formed singly at leaf buds. The hypanthium is externally glabrous, bell-shaped, and measures 2–3 mm. The glabrous sepals are spreading, triangular, have entire margins, and measure 0.7–1.5 mm. The white petals are obovate and 2–3.5 millimetres (1⁄16–1⁄8 inch) long. The ovaries are hairy. Pedicels are 0–2 mm in length and puberulent. Flowering occurs from February through March[13]
Leaves
[edit]
Leaf blades are elliptic or obovate, measure 5–16 millimetres (1⁄4–3⁄4 in) × 3–8 millimetres (0–1⁄4 in), and have a cuneate base. Leaf margins are usually entire but are sometimes irregularly serrated. Leaf surfaces are glabrous. Petioles are 1–2 mm.[13] Leaves are sometimes fasciculate.[7]
Fruit
[edit]The fruit is a globose to ovoid drupe 9–12 millimetres (1⁄4–1⁄2 in) in diameter. Drupes are reddish brown and lightly covered in hairs. Mesocarps are leathery to dry and slightly splitting. The seed is an ovoid to subglobose stone. Fruiting occurs in May and June.[13]
Range and Habitat
[edit]Texas almond inhabits dry, open grasslands and shrublands generally in calcareous soils over limestone but sometimes in neutral, sandy soils above granite.[16] It is found in rocky streambeds, uplands, hills, slopes, sandy brushy plains, canyons, on ledges,[2] and in rock outcroppings. It is nearly endemic to the Edwards Plateau,[17] with its range extending slightly into the adjacent Tamaulipan mezquital, Trans-Pecos,[12] and chalk ridges of the Texas Blackland Prairies.[18]
Ecology
[edit]Seeds are fed upon by the larvae of the weevil Coccotorus pruniphilus,[19] while the leaves are believed to be a host plant for larvae of the moth Ursia furtiva.[20]
Conservation
[edit]P. minutiflora is considered Vulnerable by NatureServe[2] and Near Threatened by the IUCN.[1] Its threats are unknown but may include development, invasive species and herbivory by bagworm moths.[2]
Cultivation
[edit]Texas almond has value as an ornamental groundcover for dry rocky locations. It is noted for its high benefits to wildlife in wildlife gardens.[21]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Rhodes, L.; Pollard, R.P.; Maxted, N. (2016). "Amygdalus minutiflora". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T50025687A50025912. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T50025687A50025912.en. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
- ^ a b c d NatureServe (2026-02-27). "Prunus minutiflora". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 2026-03-21.
- ^ The Plant List, Prunus minutiflora Engelm. ex A.Gray
- ^ Tropicos, Prunus minutiflora Engelm. ex A. Gray
- ^ NRCS. "Prunus minutiflora". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 14 October 2015.
- ^ "Prunus minutiflora". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
- ^ a b c Gray, Asa (1850). "Plante Lindheimeraniae". Boston Journal of Natural History. 6 (2): 185.
- ^ "Catalog #: PH00022386". SEINet - AZ/NM Node. Retrieved 2026-03-21.
- ^ "Catalog #: PH00022385". SEINet - AZ/NM Node. Retrieved 2026-03-21.
- ^ Mason, Silas C. (1914). "The Pubescent-Fruited Species of Prunus of the Southwestern States". Journal of Agricultural Research. 1 (2). Washington, DC: United States Department of Agriculture: 172–174.
- ^ "Prunus minutiflora". Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
- ^ a b Powell, A. Michael (1998). Trees & Shrubs of the Trans-Pecos and Adjacent Areas. Austin: University of Texas Press. p. 151. ISBN 0-292-76579-7.
- ^ a b c d e Rohrer, Joseph R. (2014). "Prunus minutiflora". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 9. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 22 March 2026 – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
- ^ "Texas Almond, Peachbrush, Small-flower Peach-brush". Texas A&M University. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
- ^ Okie, W. R. (2006). "Introgression of Prunus Species in Plum" (PDF). New York Fruit Quarterly. 14 (1): 29–37.
- ^ Hicks & Company (2018). "Environmental Impact Statement for the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District Habitat Conservation Plan" (PDF). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 2026-03-26.
- ^ Locklear, James H. (2017). "Endemic Plants of the Central Grassland of North America: Distribution, Ecology, and Conservation Status" (PDF). Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas. 11 (1): 205.
- ^ "Ecological site R086AY002TX Southern Chalky Ridge" (PDF). Ecosystem Dynamics Interpretive Tool. Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2023-09-21. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
- ^ "Coccotorus pruniphilus Species Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
- ^ NatureServe (2025-05-30). "Ursia furtiva". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
- ^ Nokes, Jill (2001). How to Grow Native Plants of Texas and the Southwest. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press. p. 418. ISBN 9780292755734.
External links
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