Plant Profile: Wild Plums

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By Craig Huegel
Reprinted from The Understory, May–Jun. 1993
Photo © Jan Allyn

Few plants herald the approach of spring as do the wild plums. Clothed in their mantle of snow-white petals, they beckon us to acknowledge the passage of winter and rejoice in the rebirth of a new season. For with certainty, the rest of the plant will take their cue from them and strive once more to actively do battle with the elements of nature; to bloom and grow and set seed for the new winter ahead. And as gardeners, we look forward to this ritual with anticipation.

I have lived with plum blossoms most of my life. Behind the corner of my boyhood home stood a small purple-leaved flowering plum, one of many throughout the neighborhood planted for their ornamental value. Although these transplants from the Orient rarely produced fruit, they were not really expected to and they were admired just the same. Where I grew up, there was a difference between "flowering plums" and those that produced food for the table. No one challenged the dichotomy.

Non-native plums do not fare well here in central Florida. They are rarely grown and never with great success. Fortunately, we have several native species that do thrive in our climate and these can be used to create magic within the landscape. Native plums produce flowers and fruit, so they can appeal to both our mystical and practical sides.

Florida is home to four species of native plums, besides the three species of closely-related cherries. Cherries and plums belong to the same genus, Prunus, and they share many characteristics. One major difference, however, lies in the flowers. While plums produce their blooms singly to a flower stalk, cherries develop a receme. Both produce rounded succulent fruit with a thin shiny skin surrounding a hard pit, but plums tend to be slightly larger than cherries and they are produced one fruit per stalk.

Our native plums are small deciduous trees or shrubs with rather short trunks and rounded crowns. Although their branches are not thorny like some other members of the rose family to which they belong, they commonly produce thorny spur shoots. This trait, coupled with their dense branches and foliage, makes them very useful as hedges or screens and valuable as cover for birds and other wildlife. All species also exhibit some tendency to spread by root suckers and develop a thicket. This is especially true if the area around their roots is disturbed. I learned this lesson again when I recently used a shovel around the base of my flatwoods plum to remove some encroaching grass. Several weeks later, I became the proud father of three new clones.

Of the four species of Florida plums, only three are native to central Florida. The remaining one, American plum (P. americana) is a northern species that occurs here north of the Gainesville area. Although it is widely used elsewhere, it is not appropriate to our climate and is not a good choice for the Suncoast region.

The following is a brief description of the three plums native to central Florida. Each of these species can be successfully grown here, but it is necessary to plant them in an area that will satisfy their growing requirements.

Chickasaw plum (P. angustifolia) is the toughest and most widely adaptable member of this threesome. Generally a multi-trunked shrubby tree, this 20-foot tall plum occurs throughout north and central Florida in sandy well-drained soils. In Pinellas, it is most frequently seen in turkey oak-longleaf pine sandhill areas. In the Panhandle, however, it also occurs in coastal scrubs and clearly exhibits its moderate tolerance of salt. Chickasaw plum is the species most prone to suckering and it commonly produces a thicket in areas where it is allowed to do so. This trait is ideal if you are growing it as a privacy screen or for wildlife cover, but it can be a nuisance if you are attempting a more formal look. Flowers bloom in early spring and the reddish to reddish-yellow plumbs ripen by early summer production of the ½-inch diameter fruit is variable each year. They are quite tart, but are eaten by a wide variety of wildlife and make a good jelly.

Flatwoods plum (P. umbellata) is sometimes called the "forgotten" plum because it is often overlooked or simply ignored. It is a beautiful and useful tree, however, and it deserves more use and recognition. Unlike the chickasaw, flatwoods plums are single-trunked trees that normally reach about 15 feet in height. Other differences are that the leaf blades tend to be flat (not partly folded in half) and the flowering and fruiting tend to occur about two weeks later. Flatwoods plums also are not tolerant of salt. To my mind, this plum is the best choice for landscapes that require a more formal look or for areas designed as woodland settings. This tree does best in areas of average drainage with filtered or partial sun and its beauty is highlighted at the edge of a woodland planting when it is planted in small groups. The ½-inch diameter, red to yellow plums are tart, yet are attractive to wildlife and make good jelly. Their flavor differs from that of the chickasaw and the flesh is a bit drier. Flatwoods plums are not widely grown by native plant nurseries at this time, but they are available if you are willing to shop around a bit.

Scrub plum (P. geniculata) is a rare plum that occurs naturally only around the Lake Wales Ridge scrub area of central Florida. Listed as an endangered species, this 4- to 6-foot tall shrub does not occur naturally in our area, but will grow well here if planted in deep well-drained sandy soils. Its dense geniculate (zig-zag) branching pattern creates good wildlife cover for small animals that spend time near the ground, but this is offset somewhat by its tiny leaves. The leaves also tend to be shed during periods when the plant becomes water-stressed. Tiny white flowers bloom profusely in the early spring and these are followed by 1/3-inch long purple fruit in the early summer. Scrub plum produces the sweetest fruit of any of our natives, and these are eagerly sought by all kinds of wildlife. This is an interesting shrub that is reasonably adaptable, but it must be used in sunny sandy locations.

Copyright 2003-2009 Pinellas Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society