Click on image for full screen view.
| Texas Almond, Peachbrush, Small-flower Peach-brush Prunus minutiflora Rosaceae The dry limestone slopes, sandy prairies, canyons and ledges from the Colorado River in the Edwards Plateau to beyond the Pecos in the Rio Grande Plains and into Mexico provide the habitat for Texas almond. It is endemic (confined to a small geographic area) there. This 1- to 3-foot shrublet has intricately irregular and often zigzag, slightly spiny branches bearing tiny leathery bluish-grey leaves which may occasionally have coarse, glandular teeth along the margin, or more commonly, be entire (smooth leaf margin). It is dioecious, that is, male and female flowers are on separate plants. Apparently, staminate (male) plants are more numerous than the pistillate (female). The 1/3- to 1/2-inch long, thin-fleshed, velvety, pale brown to pinkish-red fruit matures in late spring and early summer. The fruit and its dense, thicket-forming growth habit provide food and cover for wildlife. Ornamentally, Texas almond might be useful as a ground cover for dry, rocky areas.
Plant Habit or Use: groundcover Exposure: sun Flower Color: white Blooming Period: spring Fruit Characteristics: velvety drupe Height: 1 to 3 feet Width: 3 feet, thicket-forming Plant Character: deciduous Heat Tolerance: high Water Requirements:
Soil Requirements: neutral Additional Comments:
|
| Index of Scientific Names | Index of Common Names | Photo Gallery Index |