Oemleria Temporal range:
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Rosales |
Family: | Rosaceae |
Subfamily: | Amygdaloideae |
Tribe: | Exochordeae |
Genus: | Oemleria Rchb. |
Species: | O. cerasiformis
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Binomial name | |
Oemleria cerasiformis | |
Synonyms[3][4][5] | |
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Oemleria cerasiformis, a shrub commonly known as osoberry[6] or Indian plum,[7] is the sole extant species in genus Oemleria.
Native to the Pacific coast and ranges of North America, from British Columbia, Canada to Santa Barbara County, California, U.S.A.,[7] it is among the first plants to leaf out and flowers early in the spring. It reaches a height of 1.5–5 m and has lance-shaped leaves 5–12 cm long.
The fruits of osoberry are edible and resemble small plums which are dark blue when ripe.[8] Indigenous peoples of the Americas include osoberry in their diets, make tea of the bark, and chew its twigs to use as a mild anesthetic and aphrodisiac.[9]
One other fossil species is known from the genus: Oemleria janhartfordae from the Eocene Klondike Mountain Formation.[10]