Article

A survey is given of the European wild species of Prunus s. lato, their classification and relationship to the fruit crops of the genus. Most important in this respect are the subgenera Prunus and Cerasus. A lack of knowledge of the infraspecific diversity of the more widespread and variable wild taxa is emphasized and consequently our lack of knowledge with any degree of certainty, of the evolutionary pathways from the wild relatives to the cultivated taxa of the genus. The wild relatives are valuable genetic resources for future breeding programmes, and their natural populations need in many cases to be protected by in situ conservation projects.