Prunus ilicifolia

Hollyleaf cherry
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Prunus
Species:
P. ilicifolia
Binomial name
Prunus ilicifolia
Natural range of Prunus ilicifolia (var. ilicifolia green; var. occidentalis blue)
Synonyms[2][3]
  • Cerasus ilicifolia Nutt. ex Hook. & Arn.
  • Laurocerasus ilicifolia (Nutt. ex Hook. & Arn.) M.Roem.
  • Lauro-cerasus ilicifolia (Nutt. ex Hook. & Arn.) M.Roem.
  • Prunus lyonii (Eastw.) Sarg.

Prunus ilicifolia (Common names: hollyleaf cherry,[4] evergreen cherry;[5] islay - Salinan Native American[6]) is native to the chaparral areas of coastal California (from Mendocino County to San Diego County), Baja California, and Baja California Sur.[5][7] as well as the desert chaparral areas of the Mojave desert.[8][9]

Prunus ilicifolia is an evergreen shrub[4] to tree, producing edible cherries, with shiny and spiny toothed leaves[4] 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.[4] It has small white flowers growing in clusters, similar in appearance to most members of the rose family, Rosaceae, flowering from March to May.[4] 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).[4][10]

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.[4] The plant likes full sun, loose open soil (porous), and tolerates drought conditions well, but needs regular watering when young.[4]

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.[11] Ilicifolia or “ilex foliage,” means “holly-like leaves” in Latin[4]

  1. ^ IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group & Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) (2020). "Prunus ilicifolia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T64122457A152907500. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  2. ^ The Plant List, Cerasus ilicifolia Nutt. ex Hook. & Arn
  3. ^ Tropicos, Prunus ilicifolia (Nutt. ex Hook. & Arn.) D. Dietr.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Dale, Nancy (1985). Flowering Plants of the Santa Monica Mountains, Coastal & Chaparral Regions of Southern California. Santa Barbara: Capra. p. 172. ISBN 9780884962397. OCLC 12370484.
  5. ^ a b Fire Effects Information Service, USDA Forest Service: Prunus ilicifolia
  6. ^ E.G. Gudde (1946). The Solution of the Islay Problem. California Folklore Quarterly 5 (3): 298-299 (Gudde concludes that the word "islay" originated in a Salinan word slay; Islay was the Spanish version of their word).
  7. ^ "Prunus ilicifolia". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  8. ^ Calflora taxon report, University of California, Prunus ilicifolia (Nutt.) Walp., Holly leaved Cherry, holly leaf cherry, hollyleaf cherry
  9. ^ SEINet, Southwestern Biodiversity, Arizona chapter photos and distribution map
  10. ^ Jan Timbrook (December 1982). "Use of Wild Cherry Pits as Food by the California Indians" (PDF). Journal of Ethnobiology. 2 (2). Santa Barbara, California: 163. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  11. ^ Wen, Jun; Berggren, Scott T.; Lee, Chung-Hee; Ickert-Bond, Stefanie; Yi, Ting-Shuang; Yoo, Ki-Oug; Xie, Lei; Shaw, Joey; Potter, Dan (2008-04-25). "Phylogenetic inferences in Prunus (Rosaceae) using chloroplast ndhF and nuclear ribosomal ITS sequences". Journal of Systematics and Evolution. 46 (3): 322–332. doi:10.3724/SP.J.1002.2008.08065 (inactive 31 January 2024). ISSN 1674-4918.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2024 (link)