Family: Rosaceae
High Risk Traits:
- Broad climate suitability (primarily temperate but also grown in subtropical climates)
- Sparsely naturalizing on Maui, Hawaiian Islands; widely introduced and persisting or naturalized elsewhere
- Regarded as a potential environmental weed in Australia and New Zealand
- Wilted leaves, twigs, stems and seeds poisonous to animals and people (if accidentally ingested)
- Tolerates many soil types
- Reproduces by seeds
- Hybridizes with other Prunus species
- Self-fertile and pollinated by several generalist insect pollinators
- Reaches maturity in 2-3 years from seed
- Seeds dispersed unintentionally (discarded pits) and intentionally by people; possibly water, and animals
- Seeds exhibit physiological seed dormancy and may form a persistent seed bank
- Able to coppice and resprout after cutting
Low Risk Traits:
- A domesticated plant with a long history of cultivation
- Despite reports of naturalization and weediness, evidence of impacts is usually lacking or unspecified
- Unarmed (no spines, thorns, or burrs)
- Palatable to deer and probably other browsing animals (in spite of reports of toxicity)
- May require full sun to thrive
- Not reported to spread vegetatively
- Fruits with large, single seeds that are unlikely to be dispersed without human assistance (or larger frugivorous animals)
