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{{Otheruses}}
{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Apricot
| image = Apricots.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = Apricot fruits
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Rosales]]
| familia = [[Rosaceae]]
| genus = ''[[Prunus]]''
| subgenus = ''[[Plum|Prunus]]''
| sectio = ''Armeniaca''
| species = '''''P. armeniaca'''''
| binomial = ''Prunus armeniaca''
| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
}}
{{nutritionalvalue | name=Apricots, raw | kJ=201 | protein=1.4 g | fat=0.4 g | carbs=11 g | sugars=9 g | fiber = 2 g | iron_mg=0.4 | vitC_mg=10 | vitA_ug=96 | betacarotene_ug=1094 | source_usda=1 | right=1 }}
{{nutritionalvalue | name=Apricots, dried | kJ=1009 | protein=3.4 g | fat=0.5 g | carbs=63 g | fiber=7 g | sugars=53 g | iron_mg=2.7 | vitC_mg=1 | vitA_ug=180 | betacarotene_ug=2163 |source_usda=1 | right=1 }}

The '''apricot''' (''Prunus armeniaca'' or ''Armenian plum'' in Latin, [[synonymy|syn.]] ''Armeniaca vulgaris'', [[Armenian language|Armenian]]: Ծիրան, [[Chinese language|Chinese]]: 杏子, [[Czech language|Czech]]: Meruňka) is a [[fruit]]-bearing [[tree]], native to [[Armenia]] which later spread to [[Europe]] and later many other destinations. <ref>Arboretum Et Fruticetum Britannicum: Or, The Trees and Shrubs of Britain, Native and Foreign - Page 682 by John Claudius Loudon</ref> It is classified with the [[plum]] in the [[subgenus]] ''Prunus'' of the [[Prunus]] genus.
[[Image:Turkey.Pasa Baglari005.jpg|thumb|left|225px|Apricot tree in Central [[Cappadocia]], Turkey]]
It is a small- to medium-sized tree with a dense, spreading canopy 8–12 m tall; its [[leaf|leaves]] are shaped somewhat like a [[heart (symbol)|heart]], with pointed tips, and about 8 cm long and 3&ndash;4 cm wide. Its [[flower]]s are [[white]] to [[pink]]ish in color. The fruit appears similar to a [[peach]] or [[nectarine]], with a color ranging from [[yellow]] to [[orange (colour)|orange]] and sometimes a [[red]] cast; its surface is smooth and nearly hairless. Apricots are stone fruit ([[drupe]]s), so called because the lone [[seed]] is often called a "stone".

The name derives from "''apricock''" and "''abrecox''", through the [[French language|French]] ''abricot'', from the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] ''albaricoque'', which was an adaptation of the [[Arabic language|Arabic]] ''al-burquk'', itself a rendering of the late [[Greek language|Greek]] πρεκοκκια or πραικοκιον, adapted from the [[Latin]] ''praecox'' or ''praecoquus'', early, possibly referring to the fruit maturing much earlier in the summer than plums. However, in [[Argentina]] and [[Chile]] the word for "apricot" is "''damasco''" which probably indicates that to the Spanish settlers of Argentina the fruit was associated with [[Damascus]] in Syria.

==Cultivation==
[[Image:apricotfresh.JPG|thumb|left|Fresh apricots on display for sale in a produce shop in [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]].]]
The apricot is thought to have originated in northeastern [[China]] near the [[Russia]]n border. In [[Armenia]] it was known from ancient times, and is native to Armenia.<ref>CultureGrams 2002 - Page 11 by CultureGrams</ref><ref>[http://www.actahort.org/books/121/121_36.htm VII Symposium on Apricot Culture and Decline]</ref> The Roman General [[Lucullus]] (106-57 B.C.E.) even exported some trees,- cherry, white heart cherry and apricot from Armenia to Europe. While [[British colonization of the Americas|English settlers]] brought the apricot to the [[Thirteen Colonies|English colonies]] in the New World, most of modern American production of apricots comes from the seedlings carried to the west coast by [[New Spain|Spanish]] missionaries. Almost all [[United States|U.S.]] production is in [[California]], with some in [[Washington]] and [[Utah]].<ref>[http://www.agmrc.org/agmrc/commodity/fruits/apricots/ Agricultural Marketing Resource Center</ref>. Turkey is one of the leading dried-apricot producers.<ref>[http://www.actahort.org/members/showpdf?booknrarnr=717_56 The tendencies of Apricot producers]</ref> In Armenia apricot is grown in [[Ararat plain|Ararat Valley]].

Apricots have been cultivated in [[Persia]] since antiquity & dried ones were an important commodity on Persian trade routes. Apricots remain an important fruit in modern-day [[Iran]] where they are known under the common name of ''Zard-ālū'' (Persian زردالو). Iran is the second biggest producer of Apricots.

Although often thought of as a "subtropical" fruit, the Apricot is in fact native to a region with cold winters. The tree is slightly more cold-hardy than the [[peach]], tolerating winter temperatures as cold as &minus;30 °C or lower if healthy. The limiting factor in apricot culture is spring [[frost]]s: They tend to flower very early, around the time of the [[vernal equinox]] even in northern locations like the [[Great Lakes]] region, meaning spring frost often kills the flowers. The trees do need some winter cold (even if minimal) to bear and grow properly and do well in [[Mediterranean climate]] locations since spring frosts are less severe here but there is some cool winter weather to allow a proper [[dormancy]]. The dry climate of these areas is best for good fruit production. [[Hybrid]]isation with the closely related ''[[Prunus sibirica]]'' (Siberian Apricot; hardy to &minus;50°C but with less palatable fruit) offers options for breeding more cold-tolerant plants.<ref>[http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Prunus+sibirica Prunus sibirica - L.]</ref>

Apricot [[cultivar]]s are most often [[grafting|grafted]] on plum or peach rootstocks. A cutting of an existing apricot plant provides the fruit characteristics such as flavor, size, etc., but the rootstock provides the growth characteristics of the plant.

[[Image:Dried apricot 01 Pengo.jpg|thumb|right|Dried organic apricot, produced in Turkey. The colour is dark because it has not been treated with [[sulfur dioxide]] (E220).]]
Many apricots are also cultivated in [[Australia]], particularly [[South Australia]] where they are commonly grown in the region known as the [[Riverland]] and in a small town called Mypolonga in the [[Murray River|Lower Murray]] region of the state. In states other than South Australia apricots are still grown, particularly in [[Tasmania]] and western [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] and southwest [[New South Wales]], but they are less common than in South Australia.

Apricots are also cultivated in [[Egypt]] and are among the common fruits well known there. The season in which apricot is present in the market in Egypt is very short. There is even an Egyptian proverb that says "Fel meshmesh" (English "in the apricot") which is used to refer to something that will not happen because the apricot disappears from the market in Egypt so shortly after it has appeared. Egyptians usually dry apricot and sweeten it then use it to make a drink called "amar el deen".

== Kernels ==
{{Main|Apricot kernel}}
Seeds or kernels of the apricot grown in [[central Asia]] and around the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] are so sweet that they may be substituted for [[almond]]s. The Italian liqueur [[Amaretto]] and amaretti [[biscotti]] are flavoured with extract of apricot kernels rather than almonds. [[Vegetable oil|Oil]] pressed from these cultivars has been used as [[cooking oil]].

==Production trends==
[[Image:2005apricot.PNG|thumb|right|Apricot output in 2005]]
{| class="wikitable" align=left style="clear:left"
! colspan=2|Top Ten Apricot Producers — 2005<br>(1000 tonnes)
|-
| {{TUR}} || align="right" | 390
|-
| {{IRN}} || align="right" | 285
|-
| {{ITA}} || align="right" | 232
|-
| {{PAK}} || align="right" | 220
|-
| {{FRA}} || align="right" | 181
|-
| {{ALG}} || align="right" | 145
|-
| {{ESP}}|| align="right" | 136
|-
| {{JPN}} || align="right" | 123
|-
| Morocco || align="right" | 103
|-
| {{SYR}} || align="right" | 101
|-
|'''World Total''' || align="right" | '''1916'''
|-
|colspan=2|''Source: <br>[[UN Food & Agriculture Organisation]] (FAO)''[http://faostat.fao.org/site/340/default.aspx]
|}

==Medicinal and non-food uses==

[[Cyanogenic]] [[glycoside]]s (found in most [[stone fruit]] [[seed]]s, [[bark]], and [[leaf|leaves]]) are found in high concentration in apricot seeds. [[Laetrile]], a purported [[alternative medicine|alternative]] treatment for cancer, is extracted from apricot seeds. As early as the year 502, apricot seeds were used to treat [[tumor]]s, and in the [[17th century]] apricot oil was used in [[England]] against tumors and [[ulcer]]s. However, in 1980 the [[National Cancer Institute]] in the [[USA]] claimed laetrile to be an ineffective cancer treatment.<ref>http://www.tricountyfarm.org/oregon_apricots.asp</ref>

In [[Europe]], apricots were long considered an [[aphrodisiac]], and were used in this context in [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'', and as an inducer of childbirth labor, as depicted in [[John Webster]]'s ''[[The Duchess of Malfi]]''.

The IUD ([[intrauterine device]]) form of birth control, based on the premise that a foreign object within the uterus will prevent the implantation of an embryo, is linked to an old practice of camel herders and drivers who would place an apricot pit within the uterus of their female camels to prevent pregenancy and keep them working at carrying cargo rather than the work of mothering.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}

Dried apricots can also be used as a potent laxative.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
{{Unreferenced|date=April 2007}}

==Trivia==
The [[China|Chinese]] associate the apricot with education and medicine. [[Chuang Tzu]], a Chinese philosopher in [[4th century BCE]], had told a story that [[Confucius]] taught his students in a [[Forum (education)|forum]] among the wood of apricot.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}

In the [[2nd century]], Tung Fung, a medical doctor, lived in [[Lushan]]. He asked his cured patients to plant apricots in his backyard instead of paying consultation and medical fees. Those cured of serious illness planted five, and the rest planted one. After some years, a hundred thousand apricot trees were planted and the wood become the symbol for doctors and medicine.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}

In ''[[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|The Wizard of Oz]]'', the Cowardly Lion sings, "What puts the ape in the apricot? Courage!"

Apricots were used by the [[Indigenous Australians|Australian Aborigines]] as an aphrodisiac. A special tea was prepared from the apricot stone, while the fruit was crushed and smeared over the erogenous regions.

Among tank-driving soldiers, apricots are taboo, by superstition. Tankers will not eat apricots, allow apricots onto their vehicles, and often will not even say the word "apricot". This superstition stems from Sherman tank breakdowns purportedly happening in the presence of cans of apricots.<ref>[http://www.mcnews.info/mcnewsinfo/marines/divisions/pme.shtml Marines Magazine - Marine Corps superstitions]</ref>

Dreaming of apricots, in English folklore, is said to be good luck.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}

The Turkish idiom "bundan iyisi Şam'da kayısı" (literally, the only thing better than this is apricot in Damascus) means "it doesn't get any better than this" and used when something is the very best it can be; like a delicious apricot from Damascus.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints includes in their Children's Songbook the song "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree" describing an apricot tree in bloom.

==Notes==
<div class="references-small"><references/></div>

==See also==
{{en:wiktionary|apricot}}
{{commons|Prunus armeniaca}}
*[[List of apricot diseases]]
*[[Apricot kernel]]
*[[Pluot]]
*[[Ume]]
*[[Amygdalin]]

==External links==
*[http://www.tcmedicine.org/en/herb/kuxingren.asp Bitter Apricot Seed] — information on medicinal uses of apricot seeds
*[http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/1/3/6/11369/11369.txt The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction] at [[Project Gutenberg]]
*[http://www.malatyam.org/apricot.htm About Malatya's Apricot] — Natural panacea of worldwıde renown : The Malatya Aprıcot / The Capıtal Of Aprıcot Malatya
[[Category:Prunus]]
[[Category:Fruit]]
[[Category:Arabic words and phrases]]
[[Category:Flora of Armenia]]
[[Category:Flora of Turkey]]
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