BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Prunus andersonii | Desert Peach 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Desert peach is a native, deciduous, spreading, low shrub.  It is
diffusely branched and thorny [11].  Although heights can range from 1
to 6 feet (0.3-1.8 m), the majority of plants grow approximately 3 feet
(1 m) tall [12].  Branches are short, rigid, and sometimes spinescent.
The small, somewhat narrow leaves are grouped in clusters and fascicled
on short, lateral, thorny branchlets [2].  The fruit is 10 to 18 mm
long, covered with a dark brown tumentulose, and generally resembles a
small, fuzzy peach.  A thin, dryish pulp surrounds a roughened stone.


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Phanerophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Little detailed information is available concerning reproductive
strategies in desert peach.  Vegetative regeneration is apparently the
primary mode of reproduction.  This species is clonal and often forms
expansive, dense thickets that may represent one individual.  Stems
arise in clumps from lignotubers; these lignotubers are connected by an
extensive system of underground runners [16,17].  Although individual
stems are relatively short-lived (six to eight annual rings), clones
often persist into late seral stages in sagebrush-grass and
pinyon-juniper communities.  Localized site occupancy is so complete
that green rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus) and other woody
species are typically excluded from thickets.

The fruit of this shrub resembles a small peach.  A thin, inedible pulp
surrounds the pit.  The majority of seeds probably fall beneath the
parent plants.  Seedling establishment is apparently quite rare in
nature.  Almost all seeds of this genus require an afterripening period
in the presence of moisture and oxygen to overcome seed dormancy [7].
Studies indicate that seeds exhibit relatively low germination; only 44
percent germinated following stratification at 35.6 degrees Fahrenheit
(2 deg C) for 4 weeks [11].

Seedlings were observed on late successional sites in both the
sagebrush-grassland and pinyon-juniper zones after the removal of
associated woody species [16,17].  On both of these sites desert peach
was recorded as a component of the predistuburbance vegetation.  No
seedling establishment was recorded for up to 4 years following a
wildfire on big sagebrush/Thurber needlegrass sites in Nevada.  Although
mammal and bird utilization of the small, peachlike fruits has not been
documented, these animals may possibly function as long-distance
dispersal agents.


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Desert peach is adapted to harsh, arid sites thoughout the sagebrush
steppe portions of eastern California and western Nevada but is not
really capable of withstanding the very arid and saline environment of
the true desert.  Typical sites include dry, warm foothills, mountain
slopes, mesas, alluvial terraces, and canyons.  Most plants occur at
elevations ranging from 5,000 to 6,500 feet (1,524-1,982 m).  Within the
pinyon-juniper zone, desert peach is often associated with eastern
aspects [8] and can grow on sites as high as 6,986 feet (2,130 m) [16].
This species characteristically occupies sites overlying decomposing
granite; soils are coarse sandy, gravelly, or rocky in texture and
exhibit little profile development [2,15].  Common associates include
green rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus), green ephedra (Ephedra
viridis), desert gooseberry (Ribes velutinum), spineless horsebrush
(Tetradymia canescens), needlegrasses (Stipa spp.), and Indian ricegrass
(Oryzopsis hymenoides).


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Desert peach is a seral species in sagebrush-grass and pinyon-juniper
communities along the western edge of the Great Basin.  Due to its
clonal nature, this species is relatively long-lived and is able to
persist until late seral stages on many sites.  Plants typically become
locally abundant on disturbed sites [8,21].


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Desert peach is known as a prolific, early bloomer [15].  It typically
flowers in April or May, whereas most associated shrubs bloom sometime
between July and October [21].  Individual clones exhibit considerable
differences in the abundance and timing of flowering; blooming of clones
in close proximity can vary by as much as a month on some sites [11].
Leaves appear with the flowers [2].

Related categories for Species: Prunus andersonii | Desert Peach