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Related to Prunus: Prunus cerasifera, Prunus cerasus, Prunus serotina, Prunus virginiana, Prunus africana
A genus of trees (family Rosaceae) including the cherry, plum, peach, and apricot trees.
[L. a plum-tree]
a genus of trees in the family Rosaceae. The seeds of these trees contain cyanogenetic glycosides which are potentially poisonous. The fruit pulp appears to quite safe. The glycosides are amygdalin, prunasin, prulaurasin.
The following are the known toxic plants—P. amygdalus var. amara seeds (bitter almond), P. armeniaca (apricot), P. brachybotrya, P. caroliniana, P. laurocerasus (cherry laurel), P. cerasus (cherry), P. domestica (plum), P. padus (bird cherry), P. pennsylvanica (pincherry), P. persica (peach), P. sellowii, P. serotina (wild black cherry), P. sphaerocarpa, P. virginiana (chokecherry), P. virginiana var. demissa (western chokecherry), P. virginiana var. melanocarpa (western chokecherry).