Prunus mume

Prunus mume
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Prunus
Subgenus: Prunus subg. Prunus
Section: Prunus sect. Armeniaca
Species:
P. mume
Binomial name
Prunus mume
(Siebold) Siebold & Zucc.
Synonyms
  • Armeniaca mume Siebold
  • Armeniaca mume var. alba Carrière
  • Armeniaca mume var. alphandii Carrière
  • Armeniaca mume var. pubicaulina C. Z. Qiao & H. M. Shen
  • Armeniaca mume f. pendula (Siebold) H. Ohba & S. Akiyama
  • Prunopsis mume (Siebold) André
  • Prunus makinoensis Lév.
  • Prunus mume formosana Masam. ex Kudô & Masam.
  • Prunus mume microcarpa Makino
  • Prunus mume var. alboplena L. H. Bailey
  • Prunus mume var. laciniata Maxim.
  • Prunus mume var. pendula Siebold
  • Prunus mume var. rosea Ingram
  • Prunus mume var. tonsa Rehder
  • Prunus mume f. alba (Carrière) Rehder
  • Prunus mume f. alboplena (L. H. Bailey) Rehder
  • Prunus mume f. alphandii (Carrière) Rehder

Prunus mume, the Chinese plum or Japanese apricot,[2][1] is a tree species in the family Rosaceae.[3] Along with bamboo, the plant is intimately associated with art, literature, and everyday life in China,[4] from where it was then introduced to Korea, Vietnam, and Japan. Prunus mume is also referred to by its flowers, as a plum blossom[5] or flowering plum. Although referred to as a plum in English, is classified in the Armeniaca section of the genus Prunus making it an apricot. Mei flowers, or meihua (梅花), which bloom in the late winter and early spring, notably during the spring festival (春節), symbolize endurance, as they are the first to bloom despite the cold; the flower is one of the Three Friends of Winter.

In East Asian cuisine (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese cuisine), the fruit, known as meizi (梅子) in Chinese, is used in juices and sauces; as a flavoring for alcohol; and may be pickled or dried. It is also used in traditional Chinese medicine. Meihua are also appreciated for their characteristic fragrance, which is unique among apricots.[6]

Prunus mume should not be confused with the plum Prunus salicina, a related species also grown in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, nor with the common apricot Prunus armeniaca, which is closely related under the same section.

  1. ^ a b Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group (2025). "Prunus mume". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2025: e.T50026548A276225725. Retrieved 3 April 2025.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: overridden setting (link)
  2. ^ "Prunus mume (Sieb.) Sieb. & Zucc". Encyclopedia of Life. National Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
  3. ^ Zhang Q, Chen W, Sun L, et al. (27 December 2012). "The genome of Prunus mume". Nature Communications. 3 (1): 1318. doi:10.1038/ncomms2290. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 3535359. PMID 23271652.
  4. ^ Valder P, ed. (1999). The garden plants of China. Portland, Or: Timber Press. ISBN 978-0-88192-470-1.
  5. ^ Fan C (2010). Treatises of the Supervisor and Guardian of the Cinnamon Sea (Translated ed.). Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. LV. ISBN 978-0-295-99079-8.
  6. ^ Ding A, Bao F, Ding A, et al. (December 2022). "Cold Hardiness of Prunus mume 'Xiang Ruibai' and Its Parents Based on Biological Indexes and Physical Parameters". Forests. 13 (12): 2163. Bibcode:2022Fore...13.2163D. doi:10.3390/f13122163. ISSN 1999-4907.

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