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Prunus prostrata seed

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Rosaceae: a hardy alpine shrub that can reach 1m. Found on the rocky slopes, naturally above about 2000m. up to as high as 4000m. The flowers are solitary or in pairs, and are an unusual light rose colour, blooming from April–May. The fruit is red, ovate, with thin flesh, ripening in July. The leaves are ovate, with serrate margins. The bark is reddish brown. Native to Israel, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Syria, Turkey, Albania, Greece, including Crete, Italy, Sardinia, Croatia, France, Corsica, Spain, the Caucasus, Iran, Kashmir and Afghanistan.

USES:

The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked, but are said not to be very palatable. The plant’s main use is as in ornamental gardening. It makes an interesting, rare and unusual addition to the rock garden. It could an interesting bonsai subject.

GROWING INFORMATION:

Mountain Cherry seeds have a deep dormancy within them, this requires a degree of patience to overcome and it is usually quite easy to get high levels of germination if the correct procedures are followed.

First prepare a free draining substrate into which the seeds are to be mixed, this can be a 50/50 mixture of compost and sharp sand, or perlite, vermiculite. The chosen substrate needs to be moist (but not wet), if you can squeeze water out of it with your hand it is too wet and your seeds may drown and die. Mix the seeds into the substrate, making sure that there is enough volume of material to keep the seeds separated.

Place the seed mixture into a clear plastic bag (freezer bags, especially zip-lock bags are very useful for this -provided a little gap is left in the seal for air exchange) If it is not a zip-lock type bag it needs to be loosely tied. Then write the date on the bag so that you know when the pre-treatment was started.

The seeds first require a period of warm pre-treatment and need to be kept in temperatures of 20˚C for a period of 2-3 weeks. During this time make sure that the pre-treatment medium does not dry out at any stage or it will be ineffective!

Next the seeds require a cold period to break the final part of the dormancy, this is easily achieved by placing the bag in the fridge at (4˚C) for approx. 18 weeks. It is quite possible for the seeds to germinate in the bag at these temperatures when they are ready to do so, if they do, just remove them from the bag and carefully plant them up.

When the period of pre-treatment has finished, the seed should be ready to be planted. Small quantities can be sown in pots or seed trays filled with a good quality compost and cover them with a thin layer of compost no more than 1cm deep. For larger quantities, it is easiest to sow the seeds in a well-prepared seedbed outdoors once the warm and cold pre-treatments have finished and wait for the seedlings to appear.

It has also been found that fluctuating pre-treatment temperatures can give the best germination results and I have myself had excellent results by keeping the mixed seeds in a cold shed through the winter for the cold stage of their pre-treatment and allowing the temperature to fluctuate naturally. Un-germinated seeds can have the whole warm and cold process repeated to enable more seeds to germinate. Fresh seedlings can keep germinating for several years after the original sowing date.

Do not expose newly sown seeds to high temperatures (above 25˚C). Keep the seedlings well-watered and weed free. Growth in the first year is usually between 20-50cm depending on the time of germination and cultural techniques and developing seedlings are usually trouble free. Allow them to grow for 1-2 years before planting them in a permanent position.

Requires a well-drained moisture retentive soil. Thrives in a loamy soil, doing well on limestone. Requires a very sunny position. The plants dislike strong winds often dying back when growing in exposed positions. Plants normally flower profusely in British gardens. Grows well in the rock garden.

Prunus prostrata, mountain cherry‑almond, is a low‑spreading hardy shrub native to mountainous regions across the Mediterranean and southwest Asia. It forms compact creeping branches and bears soft pink spring blossoms followed by small stone‑fruits. The early‑opening flowers offer rich nectar for mountain bees and local pollinators. Its ripe fruits provide seasonal nourishment for wild birds and small mountain fauna. Falling foliage decomposes gradually and improves thin mountain topsoil. This low‑growing shrub performs excellently for rock gardens, alpine plant collections, slope stabilisation and high‑elevation landscape plantings.
Seed propagation brings clear practical benefits for cultivating this alpine shrub. Seeds harvested from healthy wild‑sourced shrubs hold diverse natural genetic material adapted to harsh mountain environments. Seed‑raised plants develop deep, well‑structured root systems, supporting reliable establishment and strong tolerance for exposed rocky sites. Clean seed retains good vitality under cool dry storage, supporting steady nursery output. Sowing offers an economical approach for bulk seedling production and germplasm conservation. Plants grown from seed fully display the prostrate branching habit and flowering characteristics of Prunus prostrata.
Simple pretreatment and sowing practices unlock the seed’s natural growing potential. Collect fully mature fruits in mid‑summer once drupes develop deep reddish‑brown colour. Extract hard‑shelled seeds and thoroughly remove all soft fruit pulp. A sequential warm‑then‑cold moist stratification supports smooth seed activation. Mix cleaned seeds with damp fine sand or peat, keep medium evenly moist and well‑aerated. Maintain warm phase at 18‑22 °C for 45‑65 days, then transfer to 1‑5 °C cold‑moist conditions for another 70‑90 days.
Complete sowing work in early spring once stratification cycles finish. Prepare loose, grit‑enriched, well‑drained slightly alkaline loamy substrate. Place seeds 2‑3 cm below the surface. Keep consistent gentle moisture and bright indirect light. Sharp drainage creates ideal conditions for emerging young shoots.
Under suitable nursery conditions, seeds produce robust, well‑formed seedlings over successive weeks. Fresh seed delivers strong initial‑growth momentum. Young seedlings expand their leaf sets steadily while building extensive underground root networks. Thin crowded seedling groups to reserve adequate growing space for each shrublet. Young plants stay in nursery containers for one to two growing seasons to strengthen their structure before final outdoor transplanting.
Planted within sunny rocky locations with good drainage, seed‑origin shrubs grow steadily year after year. They develop their characteristic low‑spreading form and produce generous spring flower displays. Each sprouted seed matures into a hardy alpine shrub, bringing ornamental charm and ecological value to rock gardens, mountain restoration projects and alpine‑themed planting spaces.

Prunus prostrata seed

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