There are no currently recognized subspecies, varieties, or forms. Reed, William R. 1993. Desert apricot has little or no value to browsing animals. Tannic acids and cyanogenic glucosides in the leaves discourage consumption.
Extrafloral nectaries attract a variety of insects, particularly wasps and ants, to the leaves.
Desert apricot is a rigidly branched, native, deciduous shrub or small tree. Sites range from thick stands of woody shrubs with little barren ground to widely spaced desert scrubs. Desert apricot sprouted vigorously from the root crown following a fire in California's Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. More than 75 percent of the prefire population sprouted within 7 months of the fire. Distribution of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's associations for the eleven western states.