Apricot

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This article is about the trees and their fruit. For other uses, see Apricot (disambiguation).

Apricot and its cross-section

An apricot (US: /ˈæprɪkɒt/ ( listen), UK: /ˈeɪprɪkɒt/ ( listen)) is a fruit, or the tree that bears the
fruit, of several species in the genus Prunus (stone fruits).

Usually, an apricot tree is from the species P. armeniaca, but the species P. brigantina, P.
mandshurica, P. mume, P. zhengheensis and P. sibirica are closely related, have similar fruit,
and are also called apricots.[1]

Contents
 1 Etymology
 2 Description
 3 Cultivation and uses
o 3.1 History
o 3.2 Cultivation practices
o 3.3 Pests and diseases
 4 Production
 5 Nutrition
o 5.1 Dried apricots
o 5.2 Phytochemicals
 6 In culture
 7 Gallery
 8 See also
 9 References
 10 External links

Etymology
Map of the etymology of 'Apricot' from Latin via Late and Byzantine Greek to Arabic, Spanish
and Catalan, Middle French and so to English

Apricot first appeared in English in the 16th century as abrecock from the Middle French,
aubercot, or later from Portuguese, albricoque.[2] The scientific name armeniaca was first used
by Gaspard Bauhin in his Pinax Theatri Botanici (1623), referring to the species as Mala
armeniaca "Armenian apple". Linnaeus took up Bauhin's epithet in the first edition of his
Species Plantarum in 1753, Prunus armeniaca.[3]

Description
The apricot is a small tree, 8–12 m (26–39 ft) tall, with a trunk up to 40 cm (16 in) in diameter
and a dense, spreading canopy. The leaves are ovate, 5–9 cm (2.0–3.5 in) long and 4–8 cm (1.6–
3.1 in) wide, with a rounded base, a pointed tip and a finely serrated margin. The flowers are 2–
4.5 cm (0.8–1.8 in) in diameter, with five white to pinkish petals; they are produced singly or in
pairs in early spring before the leaves. The fruit is a drupe similar to a small peach, 1.5–2.5 cm
(0.6–1.0 in) diameter (larger in some modern cultivars), from yellow to orange, often tinged red
on the side most exposed to the sun; its surface can be smooth (botanically described as:
glabrous) or velvety with very short hairs (botanically: pubescent). The flesh is usually firm and
not very juicy. Its taste can range from sweet to tart. The single seed is enclosed in a hard, stony
shell, often called a "stone" or "kernel", with a grainy, smooth texture except for three ridges
running down one side.[4][5]

Apricot leaves

Cultivation and uses

History

Preparing apricots in the grounds of Alchi Monastery, Ladakh, India

The origin of the apricot is disputed; it was known in Armenia during ancient times, and has
been cultivated there for so long that it is often thought to have originated there.[6] An
archaeological excavation at Garni in Armenia found apricot seeds in a Chalcolithic-era site.[7]
Its scientific name Prunus armeniaca (Armenian plum) derives from that assumption. For
example, the Belgian arborist Baron de Poerderlé, writing in the 1770s, asserted, "Cet arbre tire
son nom de l'Arménie, province d'Asie, d'où il est originaire et d'où il fut porté en Europe ..."
("this tree takes its name from Armenia, province of Asia, where it is native, and whence it was
brought to Europe ...").[8]

Despite the great number of varieties of apricots that are grown in Armenia today (about 50),[6]
according to the Soviet botanist Nikolai Vavilov, its center of origin would be the Chinese
region, where the domestication of the apricot would have taken place. Other sources say that the
apricot was first cultivated in India in about 3000 BC.[9] Beginning in about 7th century apricots
in China have been preserved by various methods including salting and smoking and the more
common drying. Hupei is noted for its black smoked apricots.[10]

Its introduction to Greece is attributed to Alexander the Great.[9] Subsequent sources were often
confused about the origin of the species. John Claudius Loudon (1838) believed it had a wide
native range including Armenia, the Caucasus, the Himalayas, China, and Japan.[11]

Apricots have been cultivated in Persia since antiquity, and dried ones were an important
commodity on Persian trade routes. Apricots remain an important fruit in modern-day Iran.[citation
needed]

Egyptians usually dry apricots, add sweetener, and then use them to make a drink called amar al-
dīn.[citation needed]

In England during the 17th century, apricot oil was used in herbalism treatments intended to act
against tumors, swelling, and ulcers.[12]

In the 17th century, English settlers brought the apricot to the English colonies in the New
World. Most of modern American production of apricots comes from the seedlings carried to the
west coast by Spanish missionaries. Almost all U.S. commercial production is in California, with
some in Washington and Utah.[13]
Cultivation practices

Dried apricot fruits

Apricots have a chilling requirement of 300 to 900 chilling units. A dry climate is good for fruit
maturation. The tree is slightly more cold-hardy than the peach, tolerating winter temperatures as
cold as −30 °C (−22 °F) or lower if healthy. They are hardy in USDA zones 5 through 8. A
limiting factor in apricot culture is spring frosts: They tend to flower very early (in early March
in western Europe), meaning spring frost can kill the flowers. Furthermore, the trees are sensitive
to temperature changes during the winter season. In China, winters can be very cold, but
temperatures tend to be more stable than in Europe and especially North America, where large
temperature swings can occur in winter. Hybridisation with the closely related Prunus sibirica
(Siberian apricot; hardy to −50 °C (−58 °F) but with less palatable fruit) offers options for
breeding more cold-tolerant plants.[14] They prefer well-drained soils with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0.

Apricot cultivars are usually grafted onto plum or peach rootstocks. The cultivar scion provides
the fruit characteristics, such as flavour and size, but the rootstock provides the growth
characteristics of the plant. Some of the more popular US apricot cultivars are 'Blenheim',
'Wenatchee Moorpark', 'Tilton', and 'Perfection'. Some apricot cultivars are self-compatible and
do not require pollinizer trees; others are not: 'Moongold' and 'Sungold', for example, must be
planted in pairs so that they can pollinate each other.

Hybridisors have created what is known as a "black apricot" or "purple apricot", (Prunus
dasycarpa), a hybrid of an apricot and the cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera). Other apricot–plum
hybrids are variously called plumcots, apriplums, pluots, or apriums.

Apricot production (tonnes)

Country 2017
Turkey 985,000
Uzbekistan 532,565
Italy 266,372
Algeria 256,890
Iran 239,712
World 4,257,241
Source: FAOSTAT, United Nations[15]

Pests and diseases

Apricots are susceptible to various diseases whose relative importance is different in the major
production regions as a consequence of their climatic differences. For example, hot weather as
experienced in California's Central Valley will often cause pit burn, a condition of soft and
brown fruit around the pit.[16] Bacterial diseases include bacterial spot and crown gall. Fungal
diseases include brown rot caused by Monilinia fructicola: infection of the blossom by rainfall
leads to "blossom wilt"[17] whereby the blossoms and young shoots turn brown and die; the twigs
die back in a severe attack; brown rot of the fruit is due to Monilinia infection later in the season.
Dieback of branches in the summer is attributed to the fungus Eutypa lata, where examination of
the base of the dead branch will reveal a canker surrounding a pruning wound.[18] Other fungal
diseases are black knot, Alternaria spot and fruit rot, and powdery mildew.[19] Unlike peaches,
apricots are not affected by leaf curl, and bacterial canker (causing sunken patches in the bark
which then spread and kill the affected branch or tree) and silver leaf are not serious threats,
which means that pruning in late winter is considered safe.[17]

Production
See also: List of countries by apricot production
Main article: List of apricot diseases

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, world production of apricots in 2017
was 4.3 million tonnes, led by Turkey with 23% of the world total (table). Other major producers
(in descending order) were Uzbekistan, Italy, Algeria, and Iran.[15]

Nutrition
Apricots, dried
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 1,009 kJ (241 kcal)

Carbohydrates 63 g
Sugars 53 g
Dietary fibre 7g

Fat 0.5 g

Protein 3.4 g

Vitamins Quantity %DV†

23%
Vitamin A equiv. 180 μg
beta-Carotene 20%
2163 μg
 1%
Thiamine (B1)
0.015 mg
6%
Riboflavin (B2)
0.074 mg
17%
Niacin (B3)
2.589 mg
10%
Pantothenic acid (B5)
0.516 mg
11%
Vitamin B6
0.143 mg
3%
Folate (B9)
10 μg
1%
Vitamin C
1 mg
29%
Vitamin E
4.33 mg
3%
Vitamin K
3.1 μg

Minerals Quantity %DV†

6%
Calcium
55 mg
20%
Iron
2.66 mg
9%
Magnesium
32 mg
11%
Manganese
0.235 mg
10%
Phosphorus
71 mg
25%
Potassium
1162 mg
1%
Sodium
10 mg
3%
Zinc
0.29 mg

Link to USDA Database entry

 Units
 μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams
 IU = International units
 †
Percentages are roughly approximated using
US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient Database
Apricots, raw
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 201 kJ (48 kcal)

Carbohydrates 11 g
Sugars 9g
Dietary fiber 2g

Fat 0.4 g

Protein 1.4 g

Vitamins Quantity %DV†

12%
Vitamin A equiv. 96 μg
beta-Carotene 10%
lutein zeaxanthin 1094 μg
89 μg
3%
Thiamine (B1)
0.03 mg
3%
Riboflavin (B2)
0.04 mg
4%
Niacin (B3)
0.6 mg
5%
Pantothenic acid (B5)
0.24 mg
4%
Vitamin B6
0.054 mg
2%
Folate (B9)
9 μg
12%
Vitamin C
10 mg
6%
Vitamin E
0.89 mg
3%
Vitamin K
3.3 μg
 Minerals Quantity %DV†
1%
Calcium
13 mg
3%
Iron
0.4 mg
3%
Magnesium
10 mg
4%
Manganese
0.077 mg
3%
Phosphorus
23 mg
6%
Potassium
259 mg
0%
Sodium
1 mg
2%
Zinc
0.2 mg

Other constituents Quantity

Water 86 g

Link to USDA Database entry

 Units
 μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams
 IU = International units

†
Percentages are roughly approximated using
US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient Database

In a 100-gram amount, raw apricots supply 48 calories and are composed of 11% carbohydrates,
1% protein, less than 1% fat and 86% water (table). Raw apricots are a moderate source of
vitamin A and vitamin C (12% of the Daily Value each).

Dried apricots

Main article: Dried apricot

Dried apricots are a type of traditional dried fruit. The world's largest producer of dried apricots
is Turkey.[20] When treated with sulfur dioxide (E220), the color is vivid orange. Organic fruit
not treated with sulfur dioxide is darker in color and has a coarser texture. When apricots are
dried, the relative concentration of nutrients is increased, with vitamin A, vitamin E, potassium
and iron having Daily Values above 25% (table).

Phytochemicals

Apricots contain various phytochemicals, such as provitamin A beta-carotene and polyphenols,

including catechins and chlorogenic acid.[21] Taste and aroma compounds include sucrose,
glucose, organic acids, terpenes, aldehydes and lactones.[22]

Apricot kernels (seeds) contain amygdalin, a poisonous compound. On average, bitter apricot
kernels contain about 5% amygdalin and sweet kernels about 0.9% amygdalin. These values
correspond to 0.3% and 0.05% of cyanide. Since a typical apricot kernel weighs 600 mg, bitter
and sweet varieties contain respectively 1.8 and 0.3 mg of cyanide.

In culture
The apricot is the national fruit of Armenia, mostly growing in the Ararat plain.[23][24] It is often
depicted on souvenirs.[25]

The Chinese associate the apricot with education and medicine. For instance, the classical word
杏 壇 (literally: "apricot altar") (xìng tán 杏坛) which means "educational circle", is still widely
used in written language. Chuang Tzu, a Chinese philosopher in the fourth century BC, told a
story that Confucius taught his students in a forum surrounded by the wood of apricot trees.[26]
The association with medicine in turn comes from the common use of apricot kernels as a
component in traditional Chinese medicine, and from the story of Dong Feng (董奉), a physician
during the Three Kingdoms period, who required no payment from his patients except that they
plant apricot trees in his orchard upon recovering from their illnesses, resulting in a large grove
of apricot trees and a steady supply of medicinal ingredients.[27] The term "expert of the apricot
grove" (杏林高手) is still used as a poetic reference to physicians.[citation needed]

The fact that apricot season is short has given rise to the common Egyptian Arabic and
Palestinian Arabic expression filmishmish ("in apricot [season]") or bukra filmishmish
("tomorrow in apricot [season]"), generally uttered as a riposte to an unlikely prediction, or as a
rash promise to fulfill a request.

In Middle Eastern and North African cuisines, apricots are used to make Qamar al-Din (lit.
"Moon of the Religion"), a thick apricot drink that is a popular fixture at Iftar during Ramadan.
Qamar al-Din is believed to originate in Damascus, Syria, where the variety of apricots most
suitable for the drink was first grown.[28][29]

The Turkish idiom bundan iyisi Şam'da kayısı (literally, "the only thing better than this is an
apricot in Damascus") means "it doesn't get any better than this".
In the US Marines it is considered exceptionally bad luck to eat or possess apricots,[30] especially
near tanks.[31] This superstition has been documented since at least the Vietnam War and is often
cited as originating in World War II. Even naming them is considered unlucky,[32] so they are
instead called "cots",[33] "Forbidden fruit" or "A-fruit".

Gallery
 Dried date, peach, apricot, and stones. From Lahun, Fayum, Egypt. Late Middle
Kingdom. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London

Blooms of an apricot

Apricot kernel (endocarp and seed)

Dried apricot, with dark colour due to absence of sulfur dioxide treatment

 Prunus sibirica (Siberian apricot; hardy to −50 °C (−58 °F) but with less palatable fruit)

Apricot tree, Turkey

 

Apricots drying on the ground in Cappadocia

Syrian apricot paste

Packaging apricot fruits in Uzbekistan

Drying apricot fruits

See also
 Barack (brandy)
 Apricot plum, Prunus simonii

References
1.

 Bortiri, E.; Oh, S.-H.; Jiang, J.; Baggett, S.; Granger, A.; Weeks, C.; Buckingham, M.; Potter,
D.; Parfitt, D.E. (2001). "Phylogeny and systematics of Prunus (Rosaceae) as determined by
sequence analysis of ITS and the chloroplast trnL-trnF spacer DNA". Systematic Botany. 26 (4):
797–807. JSTOR 3093861.
  "Apricot". Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper. 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  Linnaeus, C. (1753). Species Plantarum 1:474.
  Flora of China: Armeniaca vulgaris
  Rushforth, K. (1999). Trees of Britain and Europe. Collins ISBN 0-00-220013-9.
  "VII Symposium on Apricot Culture and Decline". International Society for Horticultural
Science. Retrieved 2012-06-22.
  Arakelyan, B. (1968). "Excavations at Garni, 1949–50", p. 29 in Contributions to the
Archaeology of Armenia. Henry Field (ed.). Cambridge.
  De Poerderlé, M. le Baron (1788). Manuel de l'Arboriste et du Forestier Belgiques:
Seconde Édition: Tome Premier. Brussels: Emmanuel Flon. p. 682.
  Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Vol. 1, pp. 203–205.
Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-47494-5.
  Davidson, Alan. "Apricot" The Oxford Companion to Food, Oxford University Press, 2014
(unpaginated).
  Loudon, J. C. (1838). Arboretum Et Fruticetum Britannicum. Vol. II. London: Longman,
Orme, Brown, Green and Longmans. pp. 681–684. The genus is given as Armeniaca.
  Lewis, W. H.; Elvin-Lewis, M. P. F. (2003). Medical botany: plants affecting human health.
Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. p. 214. ISBN 978-0-471-62882-8.
  Agricultural Marketing Resource Center: Apricots
  "Prunus sibirica Siberian Apricot PFAF Plant Database". pfaf.org.
  "Production Quantities of Apricots by Country in 2017; Crops/World Regions/Production
Quantity from picklists". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Statistics
Division (FAOSTAT). 2018. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
  Ingels, Chuck; et al. (2007). The Home Orchard: Growing Your Own Deciduous Fruit and
Nut Trees. University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. p. 27. ISBN 1-879906-
72-4.
  Hessayon, D.G. (2004). The Fruit Expert. London: Expert Books.
  Munkvold, Gary P. (2001). "Eutypa Dieback of Grapevine and Apricot". Plant Health
Progress. doi:10.1094/PHP-2001-0219-01-DG.
  Diseases of Apricot. The American Phytopathological Society
  Smith, Andrew F. (ed.) (2007). The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink.
Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195307962. p. 22.
  Campbell, O. E.; Merwin, I. A.; Padilla-Zakour, O. I. (2013). "Characterization and the
effect of maturity at harvest on the phenolic and carotenoid content of Northeast USA Apricot
(Prunus armeniaca) varieties". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 61 (51): 12700–10.
doi:10.1021/jf403644r. PMID 24328399.
  Xi, W; Zheng, H; Zhang, Q; Li, W (2016). "Profiling Taste and Aroma Compound
Metabolism during Apricot Fruit Development and Ripening". International Journal of
Molecular Sciences. 17 (7): 998. doi:10.3390/ijms17070998. PMC 4964374. PMID 27347931.
  Lehmann, Maike (2015). "Apricot Socialism: The National Past, the Soviet Project, and the
Imagining of Community in Late Soviet Armenia". Slavic Review. 74 (1): 13.
doi:10.5612/slavicreview.74.1.9. The apricot, being the Armenian national fruit...
  Grigoryan, Marianna (25 June 2010). "Apricot Farmers Struggling in Armenia amid Crop
Failure". EurasiaNet. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  Schleifer, Yigal (2 July 2010). "More on Armenia's Bitter Apricot Harvest". EurasiaNet.
Archived from the original on 14 July 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018. As a symbol of national
pride the image of apricots is included in Armenian souvenirs.
  "《莊子·漁父》". Ctext.org. Retrieved 2012-06-22.
  Guo, Zhaojiang (1995). "Chinese Confucian culture and the medical ethical tradition".
Journal of Medical Ethics. 21 (4): 239–246. doi:10.1136/jme.21.4.239. PMC 1376720.
PMID 7473645.
  Robertson, Amy (2017-06-08). "All Over The World, Thirsty Muslims Have Their Ramadan
Go-To Drinks". NPR. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
  Denker, Joel (2016-06-14). "'Moon Of The Faith:' A History Of The Apricot And Its Many
Pleasures". NPR. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
  S.SGT. Bob Donner. "Taste for Apricots Canned at Cua Viet". US Marines Armored
Tractor Division.
  Cpl. Derek A. Shoemake (October 27, 2000). "Apricots, AAVs no happy pair".
  Michael M. Phillips (March 3, 2003). "Superstitions Abound at Camp As Soldiers Await
War in Iraq".

33.  Paul Dickson (1994). War Slang: American Fighting Words & Phrases Since the Civil
War. p. 267.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Apricots.

 The dictionary definition of apricot at Wiktionary

Categories:

 Apricot
 Crops originating from China
 Edible fruits
 Fruits originating in Asia
 Garden plants of Asia
 Prunus
 Drupes

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