Plum or cherry tree (dormant)

Prunus is the genus of plums, cherries, peaches and almonds, small to medium deciduous trees widely planted in gardens and orchards across temperate and mild-oceanic regions, including the Azores. Out of leaf they show a vase-shaped crown of many slender, upward-angled twigs rising from a short trunk, and in damp climates the bark quickly becomes coated in pale grey-green lichens.

• Lichens on bark are harmless passengers, not parasites, and thrive on trees in moist, low-pollution air like the Azores.
• Bare-branch photos are one of the hardest ID cases in botany, since many fruit trees look nearly identical without leaves or blossom.
• Most Prunus species flower before their leaves appear, so this tree could be covered in blossom within weeks.

Care
Prune dormant stone-fruit trees only lightly and in dry weather, since damp winter cuts invite silver leaf and canker infections.