| Apricots originated on the Russian-Chinese border in | | | | producing trees, but a recent national market for |
| about 3000 BC and were imported along with peach | | | | flowering trees, Prunus mume, has rapidly developed, |
| seed into Europe through the "Silk Road" that | | | | because of the abundant white, pink, or red flowers |
| extended camelback trading to the Mideast. The fruit | | | | that can appear as early as the winter in some in |
| grows as an escaped naturalized plant along modern | | | | some areas of the United States. The trees should be |
| roadsides in Turkey and Armenia today in abundant | | | | planted for growing, 20 to 25 feet apart, further apart |
| numbers. Apricots were known in ancient Greece in | | | | than peach trees. |
| 60 BC and later introduced into the Roman Empire. | | | | A number of flowering apricot trees, Prunus mume, |
| The apricot trees are believed to have arrived in the | | | | are available commercially, the ?Matsubara Red' that |
| early American colonies in seed form for growing into | | | | blooms in late winter with double dark-red apricot |
| fruit trees by the French explorers of the 1700's in Gulf | | | | flowers; ?Peggy Clarke' early rose red flowering in |
| regions and in the Eastern United States and at | | | | spring; ?Rosemary Clarke,' flowering white in early |
| California monasteries by Spanish explorers and | | | | spring and Weeping Apricot ?W.B. Clarke' pink |
| missionaries. | | | | flowering in January. |
| The apricot, Prunus armeniaca L., has a distinctive | | | | The fruit of the apricot is round with a prominent rib on |
| taste and no other fruit has a flavor to match it. Fresh | | | | the side, varying in color from yellow to orange, and a |
| apricots picked directly from the trees are delicious, if a | | | | reddish random overlay. The pulp is usually yellow, but |
| person is fortunate enough to live close to an apricot | | | | some apricot cultivars may be white. A large grafted |
| tree orchard. Canners of the apricot fruit have supplied | | | | apricot tree may bear a few fruits the first year, but |
| national markets reliably with tasty tree-ripened | | | | most trees begin to bear when two years old. Some |
| apricots. The most important market for apricot fruit | | | | orchadists thin out the apricot fruits to every six inches |
| developed from the exceptional quality, when the | | | | to increase the individual fruit size, and harvesting |
| aromatic apricot is dried. | | | | mature apricot trees, begins in May and concludes in |
| The apricot tree is beautiful in the landscape and can | | | | July. |
| grow to a large size and to a great age, as the | | | | The apricot fruit has a short shelf-life in grocery stores |
| massive root system extends in giant growth | | | | of 1 to 2 weeks, and the healthy benefits of apricots |
| explosions each year, growing further from the trunk. | | | | are many-from Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, |
| The apricot tree is very healthy and vigorous and | | | | Vitamin C, Niacin, to the minerals Phosphorus, |
| appears to be resistant to most disease and insect | | | | Potassium, Calcium, and Iron. The most important |
| problems, as it produces more and more substantial | | | | cultivars of apricots are Blenheim (Royal), Tilton, |
| crops of fruit each year as the tree matures. The | | | | Perfection, Moorpark, and Early Golden. California |
| apricot tree can be grown in extensive areas of the | | | | grows 94% of the United States apricots and Turkey |
| Eastern and Central United States and were well | | | | grows 21% of the world commercial supply. |
| northward; however, the cold hardiness of the tree | | | | Luther Burbank, the famous botanist and plant |
| itself is verifiable, but early frosts can damage the fruit. | | | | hybridizer wrote in his book Fruit Improvement in 121 a |
| Eating the pits of apricots has become a controversial | | | | chapter that discussed the hybridization of plumcot, a |
| topic in national health debates and law enforcement. | | | | cross between the apricot Prunus armeniaca and the |
| Various groups have promoted an extract, laetrile, of | | | | Plum Prunus. |
| almond pits as being a cancer cure; however, a | | | | Several hybrids resulted from these crosses that |
| number of people have died from the deadly poison, | | | | contained the blending of the general characteristics of |
| cyanide, including the famous actor Steve McQueen. | | | | both fruits. Some hybrids offspring had characteristics |
| The American Cancer Society states that the cure | | | | directed more toward the apricot fruit, and other |
| won't work, and the selling of these substances has | | | | hybrids were inclined toward the plum parent. Several |
| been declared illegal, and some of the advocates | | | | "plumcots" have been made available to the backyard |
| were arrested and jailed. Other promoters of these | | | | gardener market that demonstrate great cold |
| products have fled to Mexico to promote the toxins | | | | hardiness, juiciness, and a rich, sweet flavor. |
| there by mailorder and personal appointments. | | | | Recent hybrids of apricots have appread, the "aprium" |
| Apricot trees normally are reduced in height to 12 feet | | | | that is 75% apricot and 25% plum; the "pluot" that is |
| by pruning, but the trees can grow to 45 feet at | | | | 75% plum and 25% apricot, and the "plumcot" that is |
| maturity. The apricot trees are best known as fruit | | | | 50% of each parent. |