Prunus eremophila
Encyclopedia
Prunus eremophila is a rare species of plum
known by the common name Mojave desert plum. It is endemic to San Bernardino County, California
, where it is known only from the eastern Mojave National Preserve
, including Lanfair Valley
. It occurs in Mojave Desert
scrub habitat. The plant was described to science only in 2002 and little is known about its ecology
.
This is a shrub
with tangled, thorny branches. It reaches over two meters in maximum height. The deciduous
leaves have toothed, pointed, oval blades up to 2 or 3 centimeters long. They are lightly hairy in texture. The flowers occur singly or in pairs, each bearing small white petals. The fruit is a yellowish, fuzzy drupe
up to 1.6 centimeters wide with a thin, dry pulp.
The plant occurs in a national preserve, so it is protected from some human activity, but it may still be impacted by off-road vehicle
s, grazing
, mining
, and climate change
.
Prunus
Prunus is a genus of trees and shrubs, which includes the plums, cherries, peaches, apricots and almonds. There are around 430 species spread throughout the northern temperate regions of the globe. Many members of the genus are widely cultivated for fruit and ornament.-Botany:Members of the genus...
known by the common name Mojave desert plum. It is endemic to San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
, where it is known only from the eastern Mojave National Preserve
Mojave National Preserve
Mojave National Preserve is located in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, USA, between Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. The preserve was established October 31, 1994 with the passage of the California Desert Protection Act by the US Congress...
, including Lanfair Valley
Lanfair Valley
Lanfair Valley is located in the Mojave Desert in southeastern California near the Nevada state line. It is bounded on the north by the New York Mountains and Castle Mountains, on the east by the Piute Range, and on the south by the Woods Mountains and Vontrigger Hills. Joshua Trees can be found in...
. It occurs in Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
scrub habitat. The plant was described to science only in 2002 and little is known about its ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
.
This is a shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
with tangled, thorny branches. It reaches over two meters in maximum height. The deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
leaves have toothed, pointed, oval blades up to 2 or 3 centimeters long. They are lightly hairy in texture. The flowers occur singly or in pairs, each bearing small white petals. The fruit is a yellowish, fuzzy drupe
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
up to 1.6 centimeters wide with a thin, dry pulp.
The plant occurs in a national preserve, so it is protected from some human activity, but it may still be impacted by off-road vehicle
Off-road vehicle
An off-road vehicle is considered to be any type of vehicle which is capable of driving on and off paved or gravel surface. It is generally characterized by having large tires with deep, open treads, a flexible suspension, or even caterpillar tracks...
s, grazing
Grazing
Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
, mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
, and climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
.