Apricot

Prunus armeniaca

Rosaceae · broadleaf deciduous tree · introduced

Last updated

Data Maturity Structured

This profile synthesizes data from multiple published sources. Expert field review is in progress.

Prunus armeniaca (Rosaceae) is a deciduous fruit tree native to Central Asia. It grows 15 to 30 feet tall with a rounded crown. White to pink flowers appear very early in spring on bare branches, making the developing fruit extremely vulnerable to late frost. The fruit is a soft, velvety-skinned drupe that ripens in summer.

Apricot requires full sun and well-drained soil. The primary challenge in cool, humid climates is that the very early bloom is frequently damaged by frost, resulting in inconsistent or no fruit production in many years. Brown rot and bacterial canker are the most significant diseases. The species needs a pollinizer in most cases. Hardy in Zones 5a to 8b.

Quick Facts

Height
20–30 ft
Spread
19 ft
Growth Rate
Medium
Light
Sun to Part Shade
Soil
Moist
Water
Moderate
Hardiness
Zone Zones 5a–8b
Origin
northeastern China

Diseases (55)

Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae Bacterial Canker and Blast Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae Bacterial Canker Monilinia fructicola and M Brown Rot Rhizobium radiobacter (formerly Agrobacterium tumefaciens) Crown Gall Cytospora spp. (Valsa spp., Leucostoma spp.) Cytospora Canker Plum pox virus (PPV) Plum Pox (Sharka) Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni [VERIFY] Red Spot Fruit Blemish (Freckles) Stigmina carpophila or Diaporthe spp. Shothole Stigmina carpophila Shothole (Coryneum Blight) Chondrostereum purpureum Silver Leaf Verticillium dahliae Verticillium Wilt Limb and Wood Decay Armillaria mellea Armillaria Crown and Root Rot An uncharacterized Black Canker Cherry mottle leaf virus Cherry Mottle Leaf Cherry twisted leaf-associated virus Cherry Twisted Leaf Believed to Crinkle Leaf and Deep Suture Eola rasp Eola Rasp Leaf (Yellow Bud Mosaic) Although bacterial Fungal Cankers Mechanical injury Gumming The normal June Drop Grapevine leafroll virus Leafroll Uncharacterized graft Necrotic Rusty Mottle (Lambert Mottle) and Rusty Mottle Phytophthora spp. (P Phytophthora Root Rot Multiple fungal agents Pitting Many fungi Postharvest Rots Prune dwarf Prune Dwarf Cherry rasp Rasp Leaf Pythium spp., Phytophthora spp., Rhizoctonia spp., Fusari... Replant Disease This problem Rosette [VERIFY] (multiple possible causes) Rugose Prune dwarf Sour Cherry Yellows Several causes Stem Pitting Cherry leafroll virus (CLRV); complex with prune dwarf vi... Virus-induced Cherry Decline Raspberry bushy dwarf virus and related viruses Virus Taphrina wiesneri Witches' Broom Candidatus Phytoplasma pruni X-Disease Taphrina deformans Leaf Curl Non-pathogenic (physiological disorder — epidermal cell d... Russeting Chrysomyxa piperiana Rusty Spot Environmental/temperature stress Split Pit Phytophthora spp Sprinkler Rot (Phytophthora Fruit Rot) Blueberry mosaic virus and related viruses Virus Diseases Symptom category — not a single disease Leaf Spot Taphrina pruni Plum Pockets Thekopsora minima and Naohidemyces vaccinii Rust Wilsonomyces carpophilus Coryneum blight (Shothole) Armillaria ostoyae Armillaria Root Rot Apiosporina morbosa Black Knot The fungi Brown Rot Blossom Blight and Fruit Rot Cherry mottle leaf virus Mottle leaf Necrotic rusty mottle virus (uncharacterized) Necrotic rusty mottle Multiple obligate biotrophic fungi (Erysiphales: Erysipha... Powdery Mildew Taphrina wiesneri Witches'-broom (Cherry leaf curl) Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV) Prunus Necrotic Ringspot

Pests (43)

Cultivars (2)

'Goldcot'
Common name: Goldcot Apricot; Mature height: 15–30 ft
Hardy to USDA Zone 5
'Blenheim'