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.
Description
Chickasaw plum grows 3.7 to 6.1 meters (12 to 20 feet) tall and 4.6 to 6.1m (15 to 20ft) wide in an irregular shape. It is "twiggy" in nature, and has a scaly, almost black bark. Its branches are reddish with thornlike, small side branches.
From February to May, small white flowers blossom, 8–10 millimeters (5⁄16–3⁄8 inch) wide, along with red plums, up to 25mm (1in) long. The flowers have five white petals with reddish or orange anthers. The plums are cherry-like and tend to be quite tart until they fully ripen. They ripen in late summer. It requires low to medium amounts of water to grow, and dry, sandy or loose soil. It grows best in areas with regular sunlight or areas of partial shade. In sunny areas, it will be more dense and colonize thickly. In areas of partial shade, it will be thinner and less dense, and each plant will be more spread out.[citation needed]
Illustration
Ripening plum
Thicket
Similar species
P. angustifolia is very difficult to distinguish from P.umbellata, with which it hybridizes easily.
The species grows in dry and sandy soils, such as open woodlands, woodland edges, forest openings, savannahs, prairies, plains, meadows, pastures, and roadsides. They are often found growing wild along highways, especially in the southern U.S.
Chickasaw plums tend to bloom early in the spring before many other plants bloom, and require very little maintenance; as a result, they are often used in ornamental horticulture.
Chickasaw plum is sometimes grown for fruit production. In this instance, it is often hybridized with the related P.salicina (Japanese plum) for improved traits such as fruit size. These hybrids frequently have superior disease resistance required for growing plums in the disease-heavy southeastern U.S. Some known plum varieties with Chickasaw plum parentage are:
AU-Amber
AU-Cherry
AU-Rosa
Bruce
Byrongold
Robusto
Segundo
Pure P. angustifolia selections with superior fruit exist as well, such as Guthrie.
Uses
The 1⁄2-in. edible fruits change from yellow to red when fully ripe. They may be eaten raw and are often made into jellies. Because of its attractive bark, small leaves and thin branches, Chickasaw plum is also sometimes used for bonsai.
↑Boning, Charles R. (2006). Florida's Best Fruiting Plants: Native and Exotic Trees, Shrubs, and Vines. Sarasota, Florida: Pineapple Press, Inc. p.77. ISBN1-56164-372-6.
↑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.
Illustration
Ripening plum
Thicket
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