Prunus fasciculata – “Desert Almond”

Also Known As: Desert Range Almond, Wild Almond, Desert Peach
Other Botanical Names: Emplectocladus fasciculata
Family: Rose (Rosaceae)
Bloom Period: Feb-Mar
Form: Deciduous perennial shrub
Habitat: Washes and canyons
Leaves: Linear; clumped in bunches
Translation: “Prunus” is the Latin name for “plum”; “fasciculata” is Latin for “growing in bundles,” which refers to the clustering of the leaves in bunches that are called “fascicles”; “Emplectocladus” is Greek for “woven branch” and describes its dense, interlocking branches.
Notes: The small fruit is edible, but the seed contains cyanide and is poisonous.
Native American Uses: The Cahuilla considered the fruit to be a delicacy. The seeds contain too much cyanide to be edible off-the-tree, but archaeological evidence suggests that ancient people of Joshua Tree Country pounded them into a meal and leached them with water to remove toxins. The Kawaiisu tribe used the twigs as fire-starting drills and as the fore-shafts on arrows.
Animal Associations: Larval food plant for Burns’ Buckmoth and Neumoegen’s Buckmoth. Plant can become infested with the larvae of the Western Tent Caterpillar moth. White-Tailed Antelope Ground Squirrels love to eat the fruits and will leave the ground littered with empty husks.