Origin of Apricot (Prunus armeniaca)The center of diversity of the apricot is northeastern China near the Russian border.
From there it spread west throughout Central Asia. Cultivation in China dates back 3,000 years and movement to Armenia and then to Europe from there, was slow.
It was known in China as far back as 658 BC and in Europe 406-250 BC.
Alexander the Great brought apricot from Asia to Greece and from there it was taken to Rome.
The Roman introduced apricots to Europe in 70-60 BC through Greece and Italy.
Apricots moved to the United States through English settlers on the East Coats and Spanish missionaries in California.
For much of their history of cultivation, apricots were grown from seedlings and few improved cultivars existed until the nineteenth century.
Cultivars vary among countries and in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Syria a great deal of the production is from seedling orchards.
Origin of Apricot (Prunus armeniaca)
