Peraphyllum
Genus of flowering plants
Peraphyllum is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the rose family, containing the single species Peraphyllum ramosissimum, commonly known as wild crab apple.
01Description
Peraphyllum ramosissimum is a shrub which may reach 3 metres (10 ft) in height. Growing up to 3.5 centimetres (1+1⁄2 in) long, the leaves are simple; they can grow very close together on short shoots but are well separated on longer shoots.
Like most other flowering plants of the Rosaceae, P. ramosissimum has 5 petals and 5 sepals with radial symmetry. The flowers have about 15-20 free stamens, and the petals are white to rose in color. The fruit is a yellowish to purplish pome about 1 centimetre (1⁄2 in) wide.
02Taxonomy
Translated from the Greek, the genus Peraphyllum means "very leafy" and the species name ramosissimum means "many branches". Peraphyllum is most closely related to Amelanchier, Malacomeles, Crataegus, and Mespilus.
03Distribution and habitat
Peraphyllum ramosissimum grows in Washington, California, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico, usually in pine and juniper woodlands. In California it can be found in the High Cascades, High Sierra Nevada, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert sky islands.
04Uses
The ripe pome is edible and sweetish but has a bitter aftertaste.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Peraphyllum”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Peraphyllum ramosissimum 2.jpg by Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.