Introducing Prunus
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Prunus
RHS Genus Guide
Prunus is a very large and varied group of trees and shrubs and includes the ornamental cherries valued for their massed blossom in spring and their beautiful bark in winter. Many fruit trees are also members of this genus and, with an entirely different look, there are some evergreens that make sturdy hedges and screens.
Flowering cherries are particularly associated with Japan, where many varieties originated. They are deciduous, losing their leaves in winter, often after a colourful display of autumn foliage. Most are medium to large trees, but there are also smaller, more shrubby species. Prunus grown for their crops include cherries, plums, peaches, apricots and almonds, with many cultivated varieties available. This group also includes some British and Irish natives, including blackthorn (sloe) and two wild cherries, as well as naturalised wild plums.
The two most commonly cultivated evergreen Prunus are the widely planted cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), and the Portugal laurel (P. lusitanica). These can both be kept trimmed as hedges.
Flowering cherries are particularly associated with Japan, where many varieties originated. They are deciduous, losing their leaves in winter, often after a colourful display of autumn foliage. Most are medium to large trees, but there are also smaller, more shrubby species. Prunus grown for their crops include cherries, plums, peaches, apricots and almonds, with many cultivated varieties available. This group also includes some British and Irish natives, including blackthorn (sloe) and two wild cherries, as well as naturalised wild plums.
The two most commonly cultivated evergreen Prunus are the widely planted cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), and the Portugal laurel (P. lusitanica). These can both be kept trimmed as hedges.
Botanical name: Prunus
Common name: cherry, laurel
