- Source: Prunus mira
Prunus mira, the smooth stone peach, smooth-pit peach or Tibetan peach, and locally called behmi, behimi or tirul, is a species of Prunus native to the foothills of the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau, at elevations typically between 2600 and 3000 m, but ranging from 2000 to 4000 m.
Description
Prunus mira grows to 8-12 m tall and the trunks 16 cm in diameter (DBH). The leaves are lanceolate, 5–10 cm long and 1.2–4 cm wide. The flowers are pinkish white. The 2-by-3 cm ovoid fruit has white flesh. As the common name suggests, the stone is smooth.
Uses
The trees are cultivated in some parts of their native range, for their fruit (which is often pickled), their seeds (as a substitute for almonds), and for their seed oil, which is used for cooking and hair oil. The rootstocks are used for almonds and for dwarfing peach trees, and are resistant to powdery mildew.
References
External links
"Prunus mira". Plants for a Future.