Prunus subg. Padus

Prunus subg. Padus is a subgenus of Prunus, characterised by having racemose inflorescences. Padus was originally a distinct genus, but genetic and morphological studies have shown that Padus is polyphyletic. It has been proposed that all the racemose taxa within Prunus (Padus, Maddenia, Laurocerasus and Pygeum) are incorporated into a broad-sense Prunus subg. Padus.

Padus is the Latin name for the Po River. The term Padus (παδος) in reference to the plant comes from the Greek father of botany, Theophrastus, meaning "from the River Po."