Prunus umbellata

Prunus umbellata
Prunus umbellata bush
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Prunus
Subgenus: Prunus subg. Prunus
Section: Prunus sect. Prunocerasus
Species:
P. umbellata
Binomial name
Prunus umbellata
Synonyms[2]
List
  • Prunus mitis Beadle
  • Prunus tarda Sarg.
  • Prunus umbellata var. tarda (Sarg.) W.Wight
  • Prunus injucunda Small
  • Prunus injuncunda Small

Prunus umbellata, called flatwoods plum, hog plum and sloe plum, is a plum species native to the United States from Virginia, south to Florida, and west to Texas.[3][4]

Prunus umbellata can reach 6.1 meters (20 feet) in height with a 4.6 m (15 ft) spread. It has alternate serrate green leaves that turn yellow in autumn. Flowers are white, creamy, or grayish. Fruits are round, purple, and 1.3–2.5 centimeters (1⁄2–1 inch) in diameter.[4] The trees bloom and bear fruit later than other plums. The fruits mature August–October. Large crops appear only every 3–4 years.[5]

P. umbellata trees can live up to 40 years and are very difficult to distinguish from P. angustifolia, with which it hybridizes easily.[6]

The fruits are made into jellies and jams.[7]

  1. ^ Pollard, R.P.; Rhodes, L.; Maxted, N. (2016). "Prunus umbellata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T50668331A50668334. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T50668331A50668334.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ The Plant List, Prunus umbellata Elliott
  3. ^ "Prunus umbellata". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Prunus umbellata: Flatwoods Plum". University of Florida IFAS Extension. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
  5. ^ "Flatwoods Plum, Black Sloe, Sloe, Hog Plum". Texas A&M University. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
  6. ^ "Plum Delicious and Native, Too!". Florida Native Plant Society. July 15, 2011. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
  7. ^ Little, Elbert L. (1980). The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region. New York: Knopf. p. 507. ISBN 0-394-50760-6.