Fruiting Prunus Trees

• Plum trees are fruiting trees within the genus Prunus.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Plums, cherries, apricots and peaches fall within the genus Prunus, along with hybrids resulting from crosses, such as the pluot, plumcot and cherrycot. Fruiting Prunus trees produce stone fruits called drupes. A drupe contains an outer skin layer, a fleshy middle layer, and a hard, woody center surrounding the seed. The outer skins and inner fleshy layers of drupes are the parts that are generally eaten. The hard woody center shell protects the seed from damage as it passes through the digestive tracts of animals. Hundreds of named cultivars exist, representing the wide variety of stone fruits and hybrids. The pits of stone fruits, except almonds, typically contain poisonous hydrocyanic (prussic) acid (HCH) and must not be consumed.
  
  

Ornamental Deciduous Prunus Trees

• Cherry blossom season is eagerly awaited in Washington, D.C., and in Japan.Alex Wong/Getty Images News/Getty Images
  
  Ornamental members of the genus Prunus include flowering cherry, plum, almond and apricot trees. These deciduous trees are closely related to their fruiting counterparts. The value of the trees as landscape features comes primarily from their spectacular winter or spring floral displays. The attractive form and summer leafing of the trees adds to their desirability. Many varieties offer colorful fall foliage interest, and some produce small edible fruits. Weeping forms of flowering cherry trees are especially attractive as specimen plants. Several flowering plum trees feature purple foliage. Select varieties suited to your locale.
  
  

Ornamental Evergreen Prunus Trees

• Evergreen trees in the genus Prunus are valuable as hedges and screens. Some are especially useful as shade or street trees. All have glossy, attractive leaves and fragrant, creamy white flowers followed by small fruits. Some have variegated leaves. Heights range from 5 to 70 feet tall. Shrubbier types are used as hedges or can be trained as attractive multi- or single-trunk trees. The fruits of some varieties are messy nuisances, especially on paved areas. Carolina laurel cherry, English laurel and Portugal laurel, and hollyleaf cherry and Catalina cherry are evergreen Prunus trees.
  
  

Almond Trees

• An almond tree is a drupe-producing tree in the genus Prunus.Maria Teijeiro/Lifesize/Getty Images
  
  Prunis dulcis, or the almond tree, produces drupes. The almond is the edible seed within the hard woody center shell. Unlike other drupe fruits in which the outer and middle layers are eaten, the outer and middle layers of the almond are discarded before marketing. Consumers purchase either the hard woody inner layer to be shelled, or the shelled product in the form of whole, blanched, roasted or raw almonds. Almond trees are cold-hardy but require long, hot dry summers to produce. Late frosts destroy the developing crops of these early-blooming trees.