Prunus and Pliny uses "prūnus silvestris" to mean the blackthorn. The word is not native Latin, but is a loan from Greek προῦνον ("prounon"), which is a variant of προῦμνον ("proumnon"), origin unknown. The tree is προύμνη ("proumnē"). Most dictionaries follow Hoffman, "Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Griechischen", in making some form of the word a loan from a pre-Greek language of Asia Minor, related to Phrygian. The first use of "Prunus" as a genus name was by Carl Linnaeus in "Hortus Cliffortianus" of 1737, which went on to become "Species Plantarum". In that work, Linnaeus attributes the word to "Varr.", who it
Prunus davidiana In China it is largely used as an ornamental, and the fruit is eaten, but not prized. In peach growing regions throughout the world it is used as a source of rootstocks. "Prunus" is the ancient Latin name for plum trees. "Davidiana" is named for L'Abbé Armand David (1826-1900), a missionary and collector of Chinese plants. Prunus davidiana Prunus davidiana (syn. Amygdalus davidiana, Persica davidiana, Prunus persica var. davidiana) is a species in the genus "Prunus" in the family Rosaceae. It is also known by the common names David's peach and Chinese wild peach. It is native to China, preferring