Desert peach (Prunus andersonii) blooming near Mayberry Park, Reno. Photo: K.Fitzgerald.
Desert Peach
Prunus andersonii
- Leaves: Small, with pointed tips.
- Branches: with sharp spines.
- Flowers: Sweet-smelling, pink (Mar – May).
- Fruits: Small fuzzy “peaches”.
Species Description
It is rare to find a desert peach growing alone; more often, you will find them growing in large clusters. Similar to stands of Aspen, desert peach grow in clonal colonies — groupings of genetically identical “individuals” that are actually part of one larger organism, connected via underground roots and stems (Mozingo 1987).
Desert peach are native to the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, and are especially common in the Reno-Carson City area (Mozingo 1987). Along the Truckee River, this shrub can be found growing on dry upland slopes, usually outside the flood zone, where it blooms with beautiful pink flowers from late March until early May.
Desert peach flowers are pollinated by insects, and seeds are dispersed by squirrels and small mammals (Gucker 2007). This plant is named for its peach-like fruits, which develop on the branches a few weeks after flowering.
In the scientific name, Prunus comes from the Latin word for “plum”, and andersonii in honor of Charles Lewis Anderson (1827-1910), a botanist, doctor, and early resident of Carson City who published the “Catalog of Nevada Flora” in 1871 (Mozingo 1987).
References & Links
Gucker, Corey L. 2007. Prunus andersonii. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/pruand/all.html#31 [2016, April 3].
Jaeger, E. C. 1967. Desert Wild Flowers. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Mozingo, Hugh. 1987. Shrubs of the Great Basin: A Natural History. Reno, NV: University of Nevada Press.
Murphey, E. V. 1959. Indian Uses of Native Plants. Fort Bragg, CA: Mendocino County Historical Society.
USDA. 2016. Prunus andersonii. USDA Plants Database: http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=PRAN2
Comments
I took a photo, and video, of desert peach while I was hiking a few hundred feet in elevation above the Truckee River. On May 2nd the bumble bees were traveling from bloom to bloom. Is desert peach sold in local plant nurseries? I would love to plant a colony in my front yard.
Hi Brad, thanks for sharing this info. I haven’t seen desert peach for sale in local nurseries (also haven’t looked extensively), but did have good luck just digging up a stem from a wild patch and planting it in our yard. We put one in our front yard several years ago and it’s been flowering and spreading every year!
The Nevada State Nursery in Washoe valley has them in stock.