''Prunus mira'', the smooth stone peach, smooth-pit peach or Tibetan peach, and locally called behmi, behimi or tirul, is a species of ''

Prunus ''Prunus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs from the family (biology), family Rosaceae. The genus includes plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots and almonds (collectively Drupe, stonefruit). The genus has a cosm ...

'' native to the foothills of the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau, at elevations typically between 2600 and 3000m, but ranging from 2000 to 4000m.

Description

''Prunus mira'' grows to 8-12m tall and the trunks 16cm in diameter ( DBH). The leaves are

lanceolate The following terms are used to describe leaf plant morphology, morphology in the description and taxonomy (biology), taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade ...

, 5–10cm long and 1.2–4cm wide. The flowers are pinkish white. The 2-by-3cm ovoid fruit has white flesh. As the common name suggests, the stone is smooth.

Uses

The trees are cultivated in some parts of their native range, for their fruit (which is often pickled), their seeds (as a substitute for

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany, syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera ...

s), and for their seed oil, which is used for cooking and hair oil. The rootstocks are used for almonds and for dwarfing

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and Agriculture, cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called necta ...

trees, and are resistant to

powdery mildew Powdery mildew is a fungus, fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants. Powdery mildew diseases are caused by many different species of Ascomycota, ascomycete fungi in the order Erysiphales. Powdery mildew is one of the easier plant disea ...

References

External links

* {{Peaches Peaches Flora of China Flora of East Himalaya Flora of West Himalaya Flora of Nepal Flora of Pakistan Trees of Tibet Plants described in 1912 Prunus