I agree that they sure do look like apricots. The confusion around the taste might be because store bought apricots are consistently uninteresting and disgusting compared to those fresh off the tree (though often larger). Size of fruit (and seed) is a probably the least useful criteria for identification, as it can vary so much from tree to tree and year to year. I've certainly seen many apricots that size though, the healthy/vigor of the tree and access to water appear to be most important to fruit size in my climate, where there are many wild apricot trees that have never been pruned and still have good sized fruit.

Another strange thing though is the ripening time. Most apricots ripen around July, so it is very late for them.

Wondering if they're fuzzy.

Bizarre, I have never seen an apricot with a cherry-shaped pit. Can you get pictures of the seed and/or leaf? Also what zone are you in?

Scott

Sorry I haven't been able to post back sooner. I really appreciate you folks taking time to help solve this mystery. I'll try to address the questions and comments in order...

Mark, I wasn't sure if by "seedling" you meant a sapling or a young tree. This tree is very large and ancient. Don't think it has ever been pruned! This year the tree was so loaded with these tiny cots that the lower branches bowed almost to the ground. No, I didn't dry or cook any of these little guys; they were wonderfully delicious and juicy, and a nice little bite-sized snack as is!

Fabaceae_native, I was raised in CA, back when the valley was full of orchards and not people... nothing compares to the taste of a sun-ripened apricot. I won't even buy them in a store. Was lucky enough here in Idaho to have a close neighbor who has two nice cot trees. She detests them... so I was busy canning and drying!

No, ltilton, they are not fuzzy, not like a peach anyways. And Scott, after examining the leaves and comparing them to a "known" apricot tree, I would have to say: this is definitely an old, neglected apricot tree. I did take a couple of pics tho...

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Well, it still looks apricoty to me; a little moth-eaten and gnarly and in need of control, just like me, but still a 'cot.

I'm interested in Scott's observation about the round seed. Don't know what to make of that.

Mama Otter, a "seedling" tree is simply a tree that has grown from a seed; it can be any age. I can see why you found that confusing. The reason that might matter is that because if it is a seedling (and it almost surely is, judging from how close to the ground it forks) it will be a blend of whatever genetic material the bugs and wind carried to it from area trees. So anomalies are possible. If I am wrong and it is a grafted tree then it would be true to type, and in that case somebody here would most likely have been familiar with it, or ones like it.

I still have reservations -if somebody as well-versed in identification as Scott wants to know more about seed shape, I'd like to hear more about it.

Can we see a picture of the pit or are all of the 'apricots' gone by now? Thanks, Mrs. G

My guess is the seeds are more plump compared to some apricots. But, its an apricot, the leaves are a dead ringer. I have seen apricot varieties with more plump-looking seeds, not like a cherry but somewhere between normal apricot and cherry.

Scott

Yes, you're right, Scott... "plump-looking seeds...somewhere between normal apricot and cherry."

MrsG47, the cots are gone now except for the few left on the tree, being nibbled on by wasps. You can see a few in the 2nd photo above. The pits?? I SAVED THEM... hehe. Thought that one day a planted seed would grow into my own Mini-Cot tree.

OK, folks, here's the cot pit pic...(say that 3 times fast)
mini compared to regular
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We thought that they oughter

be Mama Otter's

apricoter.

If this tree were pruned and thinned properly would the size of the apricots and their pits be larger?

Are there many apricots that aren't fuzzy? I'm wondering if the tree could be some kind of cross.

I think the fruit is somewhat fuzzy, just not overly so.

And peaches, for that matter, can range from quite to barely fuzzy.

Those pits are really interesting. Maybe you have a new cross!

Thanks Mark, for that Otter-notter post...On my face, a smile,that stayed awhile.

Well, I've got about 20 of these pits... thinking of gathering more off the ground. There's thousands!

I really hope it IS a cross, and that the seed will not produce a regular apricot. I will experiment and let you know in a couple of years...hehe.

I am going to start a new thread, about another cot tree that has been severely pruned that I need advise on.

Maybe the owner will not mind if you get some scion off of it in February. It would be fun to graft it and see what comes.

New name the 'Mama Otta Cotta'!

I found this because I was trying to find the name of these. My neighbor (And older mexican guy) used to have four of these trees in his backyard when I was a kid. We used to jump his fence and steal them. As I got older, he'd let me pick some in exchange for doing chores.

This was in Orange County, CA. I don't remember what he called them (He had a Spanish name for them) but my friends and I loved them. He sold his property when I was about 14 and they tore everything down and built condos so they're aren't there anymore. I wish I knew what they were called.

Do they have pretty pink flowers in the spring? They might be mume (also called "Japanese Apricot" or "plum blossom"). There do exist some varieties of mume which do not have pretty ornamental flowers and rather are cultivated for their fruits which, although rarely eaten fresh, are good for various Asian culinary uses. For example, the Japanese make umeboshi, while the Chinese make "plum wine". It is rare to find the non-ornamental Asian apricot varieties in America though.

You can see a picture of Prunus mume here: http://pds.exblog.jp/pds/1/201209/01/46/d0008146_14404034.jpg

http://thumb9.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/4648/144654422/stock-photo-ripe-fruits-of-ume-prunus-mume-or-japanese-apricot-144654422.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-umEy_ZUWnHQ/UZV1aZh-efI/AAAAAAAACnc/njZi2PyL_Ig/s1600/IMG_2008.JPG

Prunus mume fruits usually have a more yellow or greenish-yellow color than regular Apricots, but can sometimes be more orange-apricot colored if very ripe.

jmcreynolds84 Could the Spanish name of that fruit was níspero? Ciruela? Chabacano?

Could it be a Hunza apricot? They are available in America it seems.

Just an apricot, neglected and providing. Plants.

We have one in our back yard . The fruit hangs from a stem like a cherry stem. Pits are cherry size. New owners of the property, but the tree is probably 50 years old. Narly as previous writer described. We searched to find out what this is and are happy to have found a few suggestions on this site.

They are called loquat or nísperos in spanish

Could they be some kind of plumcot or aprium?

Hello,

I've been interested in apricots (and plants in general) for many years now, but also have some practice in growing apricot trees from seeds. I've read many scientific papers dealing with hundreds of apricot varieties with a vast variation in fruit traits and have seen the corresponding photographs (even of the kernels). Furthermore, I have eaten the fruits of roughly 20 different European apricot cultivars that differed largely physiologically. In regard to the above fruits, I have to say that these are quite ordinary pure apricots and not a hybrid with other stone fruit at all (apricot hybrids differ quite distinctly, this includes the kernels)! There are no tree, leaf or fruit traits that speak against it. Even the kernels are nothing very special, although a bit atypical compared to the majority of varieties. At least three times I ate rather small apricots from the market (of cause labelled as apricots) that had kernels exactly like these in the picture: very small, almost round in shape and with a very smooth surface. Btw, these were some of the best tasting and most aromatic apricots I've ever eaten. And yes, the tree growth characteristics of that specific tree really speak for an old seed grown apricot that obviously wasn't pruned for many many years, or even never at all. So it's all but no surprise that the fruits can't become larger than cherries (especially if the variety bears small fruits naturally)!

Greetings from Germany

Michael T. H.

This is fruit from Central Asia Uzbekistan. Maybe countries around Uzbekistan also. Name “урюк” in Russian language(sound like:“oor-you-k”). It’s not growing in Russia just imported from Uzbekistan post soviet country that’s why they named it in Russian. And in Russia they call «урюк» dried version of this fruit which is incorrect also. Haven’t seen this fruit in Usa. Probably that’s why there is no English word for it. From apricot family and it’s original apricot. It’s more sweet and juicy. Like a comment above it’s pure apricot. And fruit sold in USA as apricot is hybrid from this one ☝️

I was hoping for a definitive answer by now ha. I think we have the same “fruit”.

I believe this comes from a Ginkgo tree. The leaves look like a fan. If harvested carefully you can supposedly eat the meat of the nut in small quantities, however I've heard it can be toxic so I wouldn't. We have one in our yard and I love mowing over the stinky fruit! :-)

Previous photos from 1507mouse are NOT ginkgo! The leaves on the tree look nothing like a ginkgo leaf.

We really need to know exacty where you are located to be able to identify a type of tree and/or its fruit. And it often helps to see the inside of the fruit as well.

1507mouse's tree is some kind of plum. The leaves are not apricot (note the reddish petioles on the latter) and it 100% isn't Ginkgo. It isn't a loquat either as suggested above.

Maybe they are mirabelles? Theyre a fruit I saw while in France, they’re small and orange, not fuzzy, and have A small pit. I’ve had them only in yogurt there, so it’s hard to comment on the taste.

They look like Loquats to me.

Loquats look very different. Unless you are using the word 'loquat' to denote something other than Eriobotrya japonica. Loquats are yellow, not pink, have no bloom, are much more egg shaped, have a marked blossom end and contain several seeds, not a pit. And the leaves of loquat are entirely different from those in 1507 mouse's photos.

The bloom on the fruit and the foliage on the tree is a dead giveaway for some kind of plum. 'Mirabelle' covers various cultivars plus there are innumerable seedling plums in hedges and woods all over Europe which don't have any proper name at all but which sometimes produce very tasty fruits.

These aare Mirabelle Plums. I have these. They are also known as Cherry Plums.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirabelle_plum

For the millionth time, Theresa, none of the fruit shown in this convoluted and ancient thread are loquats. They look nothing like them. The first fruit discussed is an apricot and the second is a plum. The only discussion is the particular variety of those fruits.

Astounding the confident assertions with so little match. I too have unidentifiable fruits that are fuzzy, have a single stone, & are yellow (never orange). They are size of a non-round apricot, but are nothing like an apricot. At all phases of ripeness they are clearly just not the type of fruit that gets sweet. Closest flavor is peach Without the sweet. Not sour. Just not sweet. More of a bush with about 15 “trunks”. Did you ever find out what yours was?

ITS SEEDS ARE TYPICAL IN SHAPE, AND THis IS A VERY TASTY AND SWEET FRUIT

That’s a Persimmon, not the fruit OP was asking about ... 8 years ago.