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Taxon  Report  
Prunus fasciculata  (Torr.) A. Gray
Desert almond,   Desert range almond
Prunus fasciculata is a shrub that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in western North America.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
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Bloom Period
Subspecies and Varieties:
Genus: Prunus
Family: Rosaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Toxicity: Do not eat the seed, leaf or stem of this plant.

Habitat: slopes

Communities: Coastal Sage Scrub, Creosote Bush Scrub, Chaparral, Pinyon-Juniper Woodland, Joshua Tree Woodland

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + PLANTS

Alternate Names:
ICPNLycium spencerae
Information about  Prunus fasciculata from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (PRFA)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

EthnoHerbalist: There is some archaeological evidence that desert almond seeds were considered a delicacy by the Cahuilla people of the Mojave desert. They pounded the almonds into flour and leached the plant material to make it edible. This leaching would be necessary, as the almonds contain a certain amount of cyanide, a toxic chemical.


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 04/18/2024).