Apricot In Bloom

An apricot (, ) is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus ''Prunus''.

Usually, an apricot is from the species '' P. armeniaca'', but the fruits of the other species in ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca'' are also called apricots.

Etymology

''Apricot'' first appeared in English in the 16th century as ''abrecock'' from the Middle French ''aubercot'' or later ''abricot'', from Spanish '' albaricoque'' and Catalan ''a(l)bercoc'', in turn from Arabic الْبَرْقُوق (al-barqūq, "the plums"), from Byzantine Greek βερικοκκίᾱ (berikokkíā, "apricot tree"), derived from late Greek ''πραικόκιον'' (''praikókion'', "apricot") from Latin '' ersica ("peach")praecocia'' (''praecoquus'', "early ripening").

Species

Apricots are species belonging to ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca''. The taxonomic position of '' P. brigantina'' is disputed. It is grouped with plum species according to chloroplast DNA sequences, but more closely related to apricot species according to nuclear DNA sequences.
* ''Prunus armeniaca'' – common apricot, widely cultivated for its edible fruit and kernel
* ''Prunus brigantina'' – Briançon apricot, native to Europe, cultivated for its edible fruit and oil-producing kernel
*''Prunus cathayana'' - native to Hebei
* ''Prunus'' × ''dasycarpa'' – purple apricot, cultivated in Central Asia and adjacent areas for its edible fruit
* ''Prunus hongpingensis'' – Hongping apricot, native to Shennongjia, cultivated for its edible fruit
* ''Prunus hypotrichodes'' – native to Chongqing
* ''Prunus limeixing'' – cultivated in northern China for its edible fruit
* ''Prunus mandshurica'' – Manchurian apricot, native to Northeast Asia, cultivated for its kernel, the fruits of some cultivars edible
* ''Prunus mume'' – Japanese apricot, native to southern China, widely cultivated for its beautiful blossom and edible fruit
* ''Prunus sibirica'' – Siberian apricot, native to Siberia, Mongolia, northern China, and Korea, cultivated for its kernel
* ''Prunus zhengheensis'' – Zhenghe apricot, native to Fujian

Description

The apricot is a small tree, tall, with a trunk up to in diameter and a dense, spreading canopy. The leaves are ovate, long, and wide, with a rounded base, a pointed tip, and a finely serrated margin. The flowers are in diameter, with five white to pinkish petals; they are produced singly or in pairs in early spring before the leaves. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) similar to a small peach, diameter (larger in some modern cultivars), from yellow to orange, often tinged red on the side most exposed to the sun; its surface can be smooth (botanically described as: glabrous) or velvety with very short hairs (botanically: pubescent). The flesh is usually succulent, but dry in some species such as '' P. sibirica''. Its taste can range from sweet to tart. The single seed or "kernel" is enclosed in a hard shell, often called a "stone", with a grainy, smooth texture except for three ridges running down one side.Flora of China
''Armeniaca''
/ref>Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain and Europe''. Collins .

Cultivation and uses

Origin and domestication

''Prunus armeniaca''

The most commonly cultivated apricot ''P. armeniaca'' was known in Armenia during ancient times, and has been cultivated there for so long that it was previously thought to have originated there, hence the epithet of its scientific name. However, this is not supported by genetic studies, which instead confirm the hypothesis proposed by Nikolai Vavilov that domestication of ''P. armeniaca'' occurred in Central Asia and China. The domesticated apricot then diffused south to South Asia, west to West Asia (including Armenia), Europe and North Africa, and east to Japan.

''Prunus mume''

Japanese apricot '' P. mume'' is another widely cultivated apricot species, usually for ornamental uses. Despite the common name, it originated from China, and was introduced to Japan in ancient times.

Cultivation practices

Apricots have a chilling requirement of 300 to 900 chilling units. A dry climate is good for fruit maturation. The tree is slightly more cold-hardy than the peach, tolerating winter temperatures as cold as or lower if healthy. They are hardy in USDA zones 5 through 8. A limiting factor in apricot culture is spring frosts: They tend to flower very early (in early March in western Europe), meaning spring frost can kill the flowers. Furthermore, the trees are sensitive to temperature changes during the winter season. In China, winters can be very cold, but temperatures tend to be more stable than in Europe and especially North America, where large temperature swings can occur in winter. Hybridization with the closely related ''Prunus sibirica'' (Siberian apricot; hardy to but with less palatable fruit) offers options for breeding more cold-tolerant plants. They prefer well-drained soils with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0.

Apricot cultivars are usually grafted onto plum or peach rootstocks. The cultivar scion provides the fruit characteristics, such as flavor and size, but the rootstock provides the growth characteristics of the plant. Some of the more popular US apricot cultivars are 'Blenheim', 'Wenatchee Moorpark', 'Tilton', and 'Perfection'. Some apricot cultivars are self-compatible, so do not require pollinizer trees; others are not: 'Moongold' and 'Sungold', for example, must be planted in pairs so they can pollinate each other.

Hybridisors have created what is known as a "black apricot" or "purple apricot", (''Prunus dasycarpa''), a hybrid of an apricot and the cherry plum (''Prunus cerasifera