Siberian apricot, Guilesu, Hegerin guilesu
Prunus sibirica

Family: Rosaceae

What it is like

A shrub or small tree. It grows 2-5 m high. The bark is dark grey. The branches are spreading. They have a few hairs when young. The leaf blade is oval and 5-10 cm long by 4-7 cm wide. The flowers occur singly. The fruit are yellow to orange and 1.5-2.5 cm long and wide.

There are about 200 Prunus species.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows in forests and mountainous areas between 400-2,500 m above sea level in north central China.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Korea, Mongolia, Russia, Siberia

How it is used for food

The young fruit are eaten. The stems are used for a tea drink. The seeds are used for edible oil.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds - oil, stems - tea

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Heger-e in guilesu, Shan xing

Synonyms

Armeniaca sibirica (L.) Lam.; Prunus armeniaca var. sibirica (L.) K. Koch;