Apricot Carrier Oil

Apricot, Prunus armeniaca L., is a member of the Rosaceae family, along with apple, pear, peach, and other stone fruits. The apricot is found in the Prunophora subgenus within Prunus along with plums. Hybrids between plums and apricots have been produced recently which are said to be finer fruits than either parent. A “Plumcot” is 50% plum, 50% apricot; an “Aprium” is 75% apricot, 25% plum; and the most popular hybrid, the “Pluot” is 75% plum, 25% apricot.

Apricots are small to medium sized trees with spreading canopies. They are generally kept under 12′ in cultivation, but capable of reaching 45 ft in their native range. The one-year-old wood and spurs are thin, twiggy, and shorter lived than those of other stone fruits. Leaves are elliptic to cordate, with acute to acuminate tips, about 3″ wide; wider than leaves of other stone fruits. Leaves have serrate margins and long, red-purple petioles.

The apricot was originally domesticated in China but is now cultivated on every continent except Antarctica. Archaeological evidence shows that apricots were eaten in ancient Armenia, and they were first introduced to the New World in the early 18th century by Spanish missionaries in California. In 2011, the top five producers of apricots were Turkey, Iran, Uzbekistan, Italy, and Algeria.