Almond×Peach hybrid rootstock tree

Abstract

An almond×peach hybrid rootstock tree which is large, half-hardy, vigorous, upright to vase-shaped, with appearance of the peach but larger and more vigorous; the trunk is of medium size with vertical fissures and striations, gray-brown, with old bark brown with whitish overcolor; new shoots, together with young leaves, are a prominent red color; leaves are large, thin, smooth, and dark green with a crenate-serrate margin, medium length petiole, and uniform glands; blooms from medium size, half-hardy, plump, pubescent buds, mature buds are green and distinctly reddish on exposed parts; the flowers are large and showy, with large petals pink to red in bud, and rose color when flowers are fully open; the tree is a productive bearer of ovate, white-fleshed fruit (not useful to the clone) having a very hard, reddish-brown, peach-like stone with large ridges and grooves; and the tree root system is adventitious and deep-rooting with a large number of prominent, vigorous, thick, smooth, straight but somewhat tapering, main roots which radiate outwardly and downwardly from the base of the trunk.

I claim: 
     
       1. A new and distinct variety of almond×peach hybrid rootstock tree, substantially as illustrated and described, particularly characterized by a relatively high percentage of successful reproductions from hardwood cuttings, by a deep rooting, adventitious root system which provides excellent anchorage, by immunity to root-knot nematode infections, Meloidygyne incognita acrita and M. javanica, and by a tree generally resembling the "Hansen 2168" but slightly less vigorous, roots from cuttings at a somewhat less rooting percentage, has more red color of the flowers and of the young leaves and shoots in the Spring, and has more small, fine roots associated with the main roots of the root system.