Prunus subg. Padus
Prunus subg. Padus is a subgenus of Prunus, characterised by having racemose inflorescences. Padus was originally a distinct genus, but genetic and morphological studies have shown that Padus is polyphyletic. It has been proposed that all the racemose taxa within Prunus are incorporated into a broad-sense Prunus subg. Padus.
Padus is the Latin name for the Po River. The term Padus in reference to the plant comes from the Greek father of botany, Theophrastus, meaning "from the River Po."
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. 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:- Prunus alabamensis – Alabama black cherry, Southeastern United StatesPrunus brachypoda – ChinaPrunus brunnescens – Sichuan and YunnanPrunus buergeriana – Buerger's bird cherry, East Asia and HimalayaPrunus cornuta – Himalayan bird cherry, HimalayaPrunus grayana – Gray's bird cherry, China and JapanPrunus gyirongensis entire-leaved bird cherry, TibetPrunus napaulensis Nepalese bird cherry, China and HimalayaPrunus obtusata - ChinaPrunus padus – bird cherry or Eurasian bird cherry, EurasiaPrunus perulata – Sichuan and YunnanPrunus serotina – black cherry, North AmericaPrunus ssiori – Hokkaido bird cherry, Japan and SakhalinPrunus stellipila – ChinaPrunus velutina – ChinaPrunus virginiana – chokecherry, North AmericaPrunus wilsonii – Wilson's bird cherry, China
''Maddenia''
Species formerly included in the genus Maddenia form a monophyletic group. They are similar to bird cherries but lack petals. There are five species:Prunus fujianensis – Fujian false bird cherry, southeastern ChinaPrunus gongshanensis – Gongshan false bird cherry, southwestern ChinaPrunus himalayana – Himalayan false bird cherry, southwestern China, Myanmar, HimalayaPrunus hypoleuca – false bird cherry, ChinaPrunus hypoxantha – Sichuan false bird cherry, western to central China''Laurocerasus''
Species formerly included in the genus Laurocerasus are evergreen. Examples are:Prunus amplifoliaPrunus brittonianaPrunus carolinianaPrunus ilicifoliaPrunus integrifoliaPrunus javanicaPrunus laurocerasusPrunus lusitanicaPrunus myrtifoliaPrunus oblongaPrunus occidentalisPrunus oleifoliaPrunus phaeostictaPrunus reflexaPrunus spinulosaPrunus tucumanensis- ''Prunus undulata''