Prunus fasciculata

Description :

This plant is a spiny and woody shrub that grows up to 2 to 2.5 m high. The bark of the plant is grey. The branches are smooth and grey. The leaves are 5 to 20 mm long. The flowers are small and white with 3 mm. Petals occur either solitary or in fascicle. Flowers are usually bisexual, solitary or in racemes, sometimes precocious. Male flowers have 10 to 15 stamens; female flowers have one or more pistils.  The drupe is about 1 cm long; gray to red brown in color and hairy with thin flesh.

Distribution :

It is native to the deserts of Arizona, California, Baja California, Nevada and Utah. It is distributed in the areas that usually below 2,100 m elevation as it prefers sandy or rocky soil on dry slopes and washes. I was also introduced in Indian subcontinent including Pakistan and India.

Uses :

The plant is not edible. It has very limited range uses. It has traditional ways of using it: the Cahuilla prepared the drupe as a delicacy. The wild almonds were considered a delicacy by Native Americans. The Kawaiisu found the tough twigs useful as drills in starting fires and as the front portion of arrow shafts.

 

(Wiesenborn, 2015)