Prunus americana

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Prunus americana
Prunus americana.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
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. americana
Binomial name
Prunus americana
Prunus americana range map 1.png
Distribution of Prunus americana [3]
Synonyms [4] [5]

Prunus americana, commonly called the American plum, [6] wild plum, or Marshall's large yellow sweet plum, is a species of Prunus native to North America from Saskatchewan and Idaho south to New Mexico and east to Québec, Maine and Florida. [7]

Prunus americana has often been planted outside its native range and sometimes escapes cultivation. [8] It is commonly confused with the Canada plum ( Prunus nigra ), although the fruit is smaller and rounder and bright red as opposed to yellow. Many cultivated varieties have been derived from this species. It forms an excellent stock upon which to graft the domestic plum. [9]

Description

Trees of American plum Pram 004 php.jpg
Trees of American plum

The American plum grows as a large shrub or small tree, reaching up to 4.6 metres (15 feet). [10] It is adapted to coarse- and medium-textured soils, but not to fine soils (silt or clay). Beneficially, the shrub survives harsh winters, down to temperatures of -40 degrees (Fahrenheit); [11] but has little tolerance for shade, drought, or fire. Its growth is most active in spring and summer; it blooms in spring and starts fruiting in summer. It propagates naturally by seed, expanding as a stand relatively slowly, due to its long time to maturity when grown from seed. [12] [13]

The roots are shallow, widely spread, and send up suckers. [10] The numerous stems per plant become scaly with age. The tree has a crown width and height of 10 feet at maturity. [14] The branches are thorny. The leaves are alternately arranged, with an oval shape. The leaf length is usually 5.1–10.2 centimetres (2–4 inches) long. The upper surface of the leaf is dark green; the underside is smooth and pale. The small white flowers with five petals occur singly or in clusters in the leaf axils. The globular fruits are about 2.5 cm (1 in) in diameter. [12]

Taxonomy

Prunus americana var. lanata Sudw is considered a synonym of Prunus mexicana , and Prunus americana var. nigra is considered a synonym of Prunus nigra . [6]

Chickasaw plum ( Prunus angustifolia Marsh.) hybridizes naturally with P. americana to produce P. × orthosepala Koehne. [15]

In cultivation, many crosses have been made between American plum and other Prunus species, including Prunus persica , the peach.

Uses

The American plum is used for both ornamental and culinary purposes. The white flowers are decorative in spring and its short, single leader makes it a popular residential landscape tree. Sargent says of it: "As an ornamental plant P. americana has real value; the long wand-like branches form a wide, graceful head which is handsome in winter and in spring is covered with masses of pure white flowers followed by ample bright foliage and abundant showy fruit." [9] More than 200 forms of American plum have been grown for cultivation. The sour and sweet fruit is eaten fresh and is processed as preserves, jellies, jam and wine. [8]

Farms use medium to tall shrubs or trees for windbreaks, and highway or riverside plantings. Its high density of growth effectively reduces the wind velocity near the ground. Development of suckers from the root system makes American plum effective in stabilizing stream banks and gullies. It will tolerate several days of flooding. Some commercial properties plant the trees along the entrance road. [16]

Many birds and animals eat the fruit, and both white-tailed deer and mule deer feed on twigs and leaves. [17] [18]

Traditionally, American plum was extensively used by Native Americans. Eastern Native Americans planted many trees giving many places the name of Crab Orchard. [19] [ full citation needed ]

The Plains Indians and Cheyenne ate the plums; [20] the latter used the branches for the Sun Dance. The Navajo used the roots to make a red dye. [21] [22]

Notes

  1. ↑ Misapplied by some sources[ which? ]; authorities[ specify ][ who? ] say Prunus mollis is a synonym of Prunus nigra .

Related Research Articles

<i>Prunus cerasus</i> Species of tree

Prunus cerasus is a species of Prunus in the subgenus Cerasus (cherries), native to much of Europe, North Africa and West Asia. It is closely related to the sweet cherry, but has a fruit that is more acidic. Its sour pulp is edible.

<i>Quercus muehlenbergii</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus muehlenbergii, the chinquapinoak, is a deciduous species of tree in the white oak group. The species was often called Quercus acuminata in older literature. Quercus muehlenbergii is native to eastern and central North America. It ranges from Vermont to Minnesota, south to the Florida panhandle, and west to New Mexico in the United States. In Canada it is only found in southern Ontario, and in Mexico it ranges from Coahuila south to Hidalgo.

<i>Ptelea trifoliata</i> Species of tree

Ptelea trifoliata, commonly known as common hoptree, wafer ash, stinking ash, and skunk bush, is a species of flowering plant in the citrus family (Rutaceae). It is native to North America, where it is found in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. It is a deciduous shrub or tree, with alternate, trifoliate leaves.

<i>Prunus virginiana</i> Species of plant

Prunus virginiana, commonly called bitter-berry, chokecherry, Virginia bird cherry, and western chokecherry, is a species of bird cherry native to North America.

<i>Prunus cerasifera</i> Species of plum

Prunus cerasifera is a species of plum known by the common names cherry plum and myrobalan plum. It is native to Southeast Europe and Western Asia, and is naturalised in the British Isles and scattered locations in North America. Also naturalized in parts of SE Australia where it is considered to be a mildly invasive weed of bushland near urban centers. P. cerasifera is believed to one of the parents of the Cultivated Plum, Prunus domestica perhaps crossing with the sloe, Prunus spinosa, or perhaps the sole parent. This would make it a parent of most of the commercial varieties of plum in the UK and mainland Europe - Victoria, greengages, bullace etc.

<i>Prunus maritima</i> Species of tree

Prunus maritima, the beach plum, is a species of plum native to the East Coast of the United States. It is a choice wild edible and its few pests and salt tolerance make it a resilient fruit crop for degraded lands and urban soils.

<i>Prunus emarginata</i> Species of tree

Prunus emarginata, the bitter cherry or Oregon cherry, is a species of Prunus native to western North America, from British Columbia south to Baja California, and east as far as western Wyoming and New Mexico. It is often found in recently disturbed areas or open woods on nutrient-rich soil.

<i>Cephalanthus occidentalis</i> Species of flowering plant

Cephalanthus occidentalis is a species of flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae that is native to eastern and southern North America. Common names include buttonbush, common buttonbush, button-willow, buck brush, and honey-bells.

<i>Prunus subcordata</i> Species of tree

Prunus subcordata, known by the common names Klamath plum, Oregon plum, Pacific plum and Sierra plum, is a member of the genus Prunus, native to the western United States, especially California and Oregon.

<i>Salix lasiolepis</i> Species of willow

Salix lasiolepis is a species of willow native to western North America.

<i>Prunus nigra</i> Species of tree

Prunus nigra, the Canada plum, Canadian plum, or black plum, is a species of Prunus native to eastern North America.

<i>Prunus mahaleb</i> Species of cherry tree

Prunus mahaleb, the mahaleb cherry or St Lucie cherry, is a species of cherry tree. The tree is cultivated for a spice obtained from the seeds inside the cherry stones. The seeds have a fragrant smell and have a taste comparable to bitter almonds with cherry notes.

<i>Prunus fasciculata</i> Species of tree

Prunus fasciculata, also known as wild almond, desert almond, or desert peach is a spiny and woody shrub producing wild almonds, which is native to western deserts of North America.

<i>Viburnum nudum</i> Species of shrub

Viburnum nudum is a deciduous shrub in the genus Viburnum within the muskroot family, Adoxaceae.

<i>Prunus mexicana</i> Species of tree

Prunus mexicana, commonly known as the Mexican plum, Inch plum, and Bigtree plum, is a North American species of plum tree that can be found in the central United States and Northern Mexico.

<i>Ribes aureum</i> Species of plant

Ribes aureum, known by the common names golden currant, clove currant, pruterberry and buffalo currant, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Ribes native to North America.

<i>Celtis reticulata</i> Species of tree

Celtis reticulata, with common names including netleaf hackberry, western hackberry, Douglas hackberry, netleaf sugar hackberry, palo blanco, and acibuche, is a small- to medium-sized deciduous tree native to western North America.

<i>Prunus alleghaniensis</i> Species of tree

Prunus alleghaniensis, the Allegheny plum, is a species of New World plum, native to the Appalachian Mountains.

<i>Prunus angustifolia</i> Species of tree

Prunus angustifolia, known commonly as Chickasaw plum, Cherokee plum, Florida sand plum, sandhill plum, or sand plum, is a North American species of plum-bearing tree. It was originally cultivated by Native Americans before the arrival of Europeans. The species' name angustifolia refers to its narrow leaves. It became the official state fruit of Kansas in 2022.

<i>Prunus hortulana</i> Species of tree

Prunus hortulana, called the hortulan plum and wild goose plum, is a fruit shrub in the rose family found in the central United States in: Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia. Populations east of the Appalachians probably represent naturalizations.

References

  1. ↑ Pollard, R.P.; Rhodes, L.; Maxted, N. (2016). "Prunus americana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T50669154A50672305. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T50669154A50672305.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Bailey, Liberty Hyde (1916). The Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. New York: The MacMillan Company. Downloadable Google Books at .
  3. ↑ Elbert L. Little, Jr. "Digital Representations of Tree Species Range Maps". Atlas of United States Trees.
  4. ↑ "Prunus americana Marshall". Richard Pankhurst et al. Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh . Retrieved July 25, 2018– via The Plant List.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link) Note that this website has been superseded by World Flora Online
  5. ↑ "Prunus americana var. mollis (Torr.) Torr. & A. Gray". Tropicos . Missouri Botanical Gardens . Retrieved July 25, 2018– via The Plant List. Note that this website has been superseded by World Flora Online
  6. 1 2 USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Prunus americana". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  7. ↑ "Prunus americana". State-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
  8. 1 2 Little, Elbert L., Jr. (1950). Southwestern trees: A guide to the native species of New Mexico and Arizona. Agric. Handb. No. 9. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 109 p.
  9. 1 2 Keeler, Harriet L. (1900). Our Native Trees and How to Identify Them. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. Downloadable Google Books at
  10. 1 2 "USDA NRCS Plant Fact Sheet: American Plum, Prunus americana Marsh" (PDF). USDA.
  11. ↑ Prunus americana Marshall (American plum) - Characteristics
  12. 1 2 Rohrer, Joseph R. (2014). "Prunus americana". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 9. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  13. ↑ Prunus americana Marshall (American plum) - Characteristics
  14. ↑ North Dakota State University
  15. ↑ Lee, Sangtae; Wen, Jun. (2001). A phylogenetic analysis of Prunus and the Amygdaloideae (Rosaceae) using ITS sequences of nuclear ribosomal DNA. American Journal of Botany . 88(1): 150-160.
  16. ↑ Kansas Forests, American plum Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on April 20, 2010
  17. ↑ Prunus americana American Plum Retrieved on April 20, 2010
  18. ↑ Morris, Melvin S.; Schmautz, Jack E.; Stickney, Peter F. (1962). Winter field key to the native shrubs of Montana. Bulletin No. 23. Missoula, MT: Montana State University, Montana Forest and Conservation Experiment Station. 70 p.
  19. ↑ {Aronhime papers, Virginia State Library}[ full citation needed ]
  20. ↑ Peattie, Donald Culross (1953). A Natural History of Western Trees. New York: Bonanza Books. p. 534.
  21. ↑ Hart, Jeffrey A. (1981). The ethnobotany of the Northern Cheyenne Indians of Montana. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 4: 1-55.
  22. ↑ Elmore, Francis H. (1944). Ethnobotany of the Navajo. Monograph Series: 1(7). Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico. 136 p.
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