Prunus subg. Padus is a
subgenus of Prunus, characterised by having
racemoseinflorescences. Padus was originally a distinct genus, but genetic and morphological studies have shown that Padus is
polyphyletic.[1][2] It has been proposed that all the racemose taxa within Prunus (Padus, Maddenia, Laurocerasus and Pygeum) are incorporated into a broad-sense Prunus subg. Padus.[3]
Species
Padus
Species formerly included in the genus Padus are mostly incorporated into this subgenus, except P. maackii and P. xingshanensis which are included in
Prunus subg. Cerasus.[4] They are deciduous and have small, sour
fruit usually only palatable to
birds, hence the name bird cherries. Bird cherries are native throughout the temperate
Northern Hemisphere, including:[5][1]
Species formerly included in the genus Maddenia (
Chinese: 假稠李, false bird cherries, or 臭樱, odorous cherries) form a
monophyletic group. They are similar to bird cherries but lack petals. There are five species:[6][7][8]
Prunus hypoxantha – Sichuan false bird cherry, western to central China
Laurocerasus
Species formerly included in the genus Laurocerasus (cherry laurels) are evergreen and distributed in
subtropics and
tropics. Examples are:[citation needed]
The Pygeum group is monophyletic if P. africana (possibly as well as P. crassifolia) is excluded. All the species formerly included in the genus Pygeum, except P. africana (and P. crassifolia), are native to tropical
Asia and
Oceania. They are similar to cherry laurels but lack petals. Examples are:[9]