''Prunus rufa'', called Himalayan cherry, is a species of

cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The nam ...

native to

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

and

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

. It is used as an ornamental elsewhere for its striking shiny brown bark. It has been found growing at above sea level in the Himalayas.

Description

''Prunus rufa'' is a small deciduous tree reaching a height of . Its calyx tubes are 11–15mm long and its leaf blades are 2.8–5cm long. The smooth bark is a shiny brown, with prominent horizontal

lenticel A lenticel is a porous tissue consisting of cells with large intercellular spaces in the periderm of the secondarily thickened organs and the bark of woody stems and roots of dicotyledonous flowering plants. It functions as a pore, providing a ...

s, similar to the coppery-red bark of the Tibetan cherry, ''

Prunus serrula ''Prunus serrula'', called birch bark cherry, birchbark cherry, paperbark cherry, or Tibetan cherry, is a species of cherry native to China, and is used as an ornamental in many parts of the world for its striking coppery-red bark. Description ...

'' and similar to but lighter than the mahogany-brown bark of '' Prunus himalaica''. Its phenotype suggests close affinity with four other Himalayan species of ''Prunus''; '' P. topkegolensis'', '' P. harae'', '' P. taplejungnica'' and '' P. singalilaensis''. Some sources consider ''Prunus ferruginea'' to be a synonym.

References

External links

* {{prunus-stub rufa Cherries Flora of East Himalaya Ornamental trees