American plum
Description
Leaves
Form
- Ovate
- Usually widest slightly below the middle
- Narrowing abruptly to a long, slender tip
- Fully rounded at the base or with a slight taper toward the petiole
- Hairless or slightly hairy
- Thin, fragile
- Midvein prominent
- Lateral veins slender
Length
- 6–10 cm
Colour
- Upper surface dull dark green
- Lower surface slightly paler
Margin
- Double- or single-toothed
- Teeth sharp, prominent, rounded, not gland-tipped
Petiole
- Stout with large, dark glands
Buds
Form
- Appressed against the twig
- Pointed
- Scale tips thin, frayed
Length
- 3–8 mm
Colour
- Greyish
- Scales 2 shades of pale greyish-brown
Twigs
Form
- Slender, smooth
- Shorter shoots often end in a thorn
- May bear leaves and flowers
- Bitter almond flavour
Colour
- Greyish-brown to reddish-brown
Flowers
Form
- Showy, fragrant
- On short, slender stalk
- In small clusters (umbels) of 2–4 flowers on previous year’s twigs
Width
- About 25 mm
Colour
- White
- Stalk greenish-brown
Structure
- Synoecious
Floral timing
- As the leaves expand
Fruits
Form
- Somewhat elongated
- Skin thick, surface slightly powdery
- Flesh sweet or sour
Length
- About 20–25 mm
Colour
- Skin orange or reddish
- Flesh yellow
Timing
- Ripen from mid-August to early September
Bark
Form
- Slightly elongated lenticels
- With age splitting vertically, the 2 separated parts curling back slightly to reveal the inner bark
- Gradually becoming scaly
Colour
- Reddish-brown or dark grey to nearly black
- Lenticels greyish
Size
Height
- To 9 m
Diameter
- To 25 cm
Tree form
Open-grown
Trunk
- Short, crooked
- Often divided about a metre above the ground into several stiff, upright, crooked branches
Crown
- Irregular, flat-topped
Habitat
Site
- River valleys, pastures and along fencerows, especially on lime soils
- Widely scattered individual trees
Range
Central North America, southern Ontario, southern Manitoba, and the extreme southeastern portion of Saskatchewan
Distribution map

- Date modified: