Plant Name: Apricot Tree

Latin name: Armenian plum tree.

Alias: apricot, Beimei.

Rosaceae, Prunus.

Morphological characteristics: deciduous trees, 5-8 meters high, DBH is 30 cm. Dry skin is dark grayish brown, without terminal buds, and 2-3 winter buds are clustered. Simple leaves alternate, the leaves are oval to nearly round, 5-9 cm long and 4-8 cm wide, with short tips, round or nearly heart-shaped bases, rounded serrations at the edges, pinnate veins, 4-6 pairs of lateral veins, smooth surface of leaves, sometimes hairs between axils, smooth petioles, 2-3 cm long, and 1-6 glands near the leaf base. Calyx narrowly cylindrical, sepals reflexed when flowering; The flowers are white or reddish, with 25-45 stamens, shorter than petals, and the fruit is spherical or ovoid. When mature, it is mostly shallow or yellow-red, slightly hairy. The seed core is oblate, flowering in March and fruit ripening in June-July.

Distribution: Originally from Xinjiang, China, it has been widely distributed in all parts of North China.

Ecological habit: it is a positive tree species with deep roots, light-loving, drought-resistant, cold-resistant and wind-resistant, and its life span is over 100 years. It is the main cultivated fruit tree in low mountains and hills.

Garden use: bloom in early spring, flowers first and leaves later; You can plant pines and cypresses by the lake or cliff beside the pool or in front of the courtyard hall, which is very ornamental.

Breeding and cultivation: seed breeding is the main method. Because there are many varieties of apricot trees, seedlings are often used as rootstocks (seedlings of peaches and plums can also be used as grafting breeding), and seeds need to be piled up in wet sand to accelerate germination when sowing.

Variant:

1. apricot. ): The main difference from apricot is that the twigs are prickly, the leaves are small, the apex is long or the tail is pointed, the base is wedge-shaped or wide wedge-shaped, and two more flowers are born in one bud, the color is pink and white, and the fruit has no edible value.

2. Fraxinus mandshurica: Small leaves and drooping branches are the main characteristics of this variety.

Fraxinus P.mandshurica Koehne is a common tree species in the same genus, which is characterized by dark gray bark, deep cracks and thick cork layer. The leaves are broadly elliptic or ovoid with uneven double serrations. Flowers solitary, sparse, symbiotic, red or light brown. Location: Northeast China and South Inner Mongolia.

Apricot is an excellent fruit tree in China, belonging to deciduous Rosaceae and distributed in northern China. The western part of Beijing can be seen everywhere, with lush foliage.

As the saying goes, "peaches, apricots and pears last for five years, and jujube trees sell money that year." In other words, apricot trees blossom and bear fruit in four years and benefit earlier, and enter the full fruit period in five years; Its general life span is 40 years to 100 years, so it is called "longevity tree".

Apricot trees are generally 5 to 7 meters high, with sunny crowns, dense branches, wide oval leaves, thin and blunt serrated leaves, and slightly hairy or hairless leaves.

The fruit of apricot tree is round, called apricot, with red and yellow skin and meat about half a centimeter thick; There are three kinds of almonds: denuded, semi-denuded and sticky. The surface of the nucleus is smooth, and there are grooves on the edge; Almonds are thin and hard, with almonds in them. Almonds can be divided into sweet and bitter. Apricots generally weigh 20 to 70 grams, and the largest can reach more than 100 grams.

Apricot trees have strong adaptability, and the skin of adult apricot trees is thick, which can resist the cold of MINUS 20 or 30 degrees. Apricot trees have developed roots and are buried deep, which is almost the same as the height of the trees, so they are cold-resistant.

Apricot trees generally germinate in early April and bloom in mid-April, with a flowering period of 5 to 7 years. Every year when bloom is apricot, the hillsides, riverbanks and roadsides are all white, like gauze, like dreams, like fog, and the fragrance is refreshing. At the beginning of May, as the apricot blossoms wither. Green apricots are hanging high on the branches. Apricot has two growth climaxes, the first in early May and the second in July, but it is weaker than the previous one. After that, apricot trees are dotted with green apricots, and a bumper harvest is in sight. Majestically, green apricots seem to swing around in the branches, which is gratifying. Apricots ripen in the wheat harvest season in May and June every year. From a distance, the trees are all golden yellow. At this time, it is very important to choose them.

Apricots are not easy to store and transport, so they should be harvested early with green leaves to avoid falling leaves. Picked red apricots and white apricots should be transported to the fruit market in time. Generally, apricots should be peeled and dried quickly.

Apricot is a favorite fruit, which is rich in nutrition and vitamins. Apricots can be made into preserved apricots, apricot jam and so on. Almonds are mainly used to extract oil, and can also be made into food. They also have medicinal effects, such as relieving cough and moistening intestines. Almond is a traditional commodity in China, which exchanges a lot of foreign exchange for the country every year; Apricot wood is hard and is a good material for furniture; Apricot branches can be used as fuel and apricot leaves can be used as feed. Apricot trees are all treasures, and they are farmers' cash cows.

With the improvement of people's living standards and the development of foreign trade, there is an increasing demand for apricots and almonds. In the future, all parts of the country can cultivate according to conditions, further improve varieties, do a good job in transplant experiments, and move apricots from the north to the south, so that people all over the motherland can eat apricots and almonds to meet people's needs.