Prunus ilicifolia

rdf:langString Prunus ilicifolia

rdf:langString Hollyleaf cherry

rdf:langString Walp.

rdf:langString Q15542189

rdf:langString Q2114443

rdf:langString Q39779740

rdf:langString Prunus ilicifolia range map 3.png

rdf:langString Natural range of Prunus ilicifolia

rdf:langString LC

rdf:langString IUCN3.1

rdf:langString *Cerasus ilicifolia (Nutt. ex Hook. & Arn.) *Laurocerasus ilicifolia ( M.Roem.) *Lauro-cerasus ilicifolia ( M.Roem.) *Prunus lyonii ( Sarg.)

rdf:langString Prunus ilicifolia

rdf:langString Prunus ilicifolia (Common names: hollyleaf cherry, evergreen cherry; islay - Salinan Native American) is native to the chaparral areas of coastal California (from Mendocino County to San Diego County), Baja California, and Baja California Sur. as well as the desert chaparral areas of the Mojave desert. Prunus ilicifolia is an evergreen shrub to tree, producing edible cherries, with shiny and spiny toothed leaves similar in appearance to those of holly. This resemblance is the source of both the common name "holly-leaved cherry" and the scientific epithet "ilicifolia" (Ilex-leaved). It grows 2.4 to 9.1 metres (8 to 30 feet) tall, with thick, alternate leaves 2.5 to 5.1 centimetres (1 to 2 inches) in length. It has small white flowers growing in clusters, similar in appearance to most members of the rose family, Rosaceae, flowering from March to May. The flowers are terminal on small stalks, with the youngest at the cluster center. The purple to black fruit is sweet, with a very thin pulp around a large single stone (drupe). The plant is prized for cultivation, showy and easily grown from seed, and has been cultivated for centuries as a food source, and tolerates twice yearly pruning when often used as a hedge. The plant likes full sun, loose open soil (porous), and tolerates drought conditions well, but needs regular watering when young. Despite its name, it is not a true cherry (P. subg. Cerasus) species. It is traditionally included in P. subg. Laurocerasus, but molecular research indicates it is nested with species of P. subg. Padus. Ilicifolia or “ilex foliage,” means “holly-like leaves” in Latin