Summary
Prunus mexicana, commonly known as the Mexican plum,[1] Inch plum, and Bigtree plum,[3] is a North American species of plum tree that can be found in the central United States and Northern Mexico.
| Prunus mexicana | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| 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. mexicana
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| Binomial name | |
| Prunus mexicana | |
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| Generalized natural range of Prunus mexicana | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Description edit
Prunus mexicana has a single trunk, an open crown, and reaches a height of 15–38 feet (4.6–11.6 m).[3] It has dark green, simple ovate leaves 2–4.5 inches (5.1–11.4 cm) long and 1.25–2 inches (3.2–5.1 cm) wide.[3] In the early spring it is covered with five-petaled fragrant white or pale pink flowers 0.75–1 inch (19–25 mm) wide.[3] Its dark gray bark is banded with horizontal lenticels.[4][verification needed] The dark red or purple fruit ripens late in the fall.[5][6]
Prunus mexicana is very similar to Prunus americana, and they intergrade along a broad contact zone centered around Arkansas and Missouri. These intermediate individuals may be impossible to assign to a specific species.[7]
Taxonomy edit
Prunus mexicana is included in the section Prunocerasus.[8]
Distribution and habitat edit
The native range of the species stretches from South Dakota east to Wisconsin, Ohio, Kentucky, and Georgia, and south to the Mexican states of Coahuila and San Luis Potosí.[1][9]
It is usually found on woodland edges or in open fields. It is adaptable to a wide range of soil pH and is drought-tolerant. The trees are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 5 to 9.
Ecology edit
The fruit is eaten fresh by both mammals and birds.[3]
Uses edit
The fruit is made into preserves, and the tree can serve as a rootstock for grafting on other plum cultivars.[3]
Gallery edit
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Flowers of Prunus mexicana
References edit
- ^ a b c "Prunus mexicana". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- ^ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved January 27, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f Little, Elbert L. (1980). The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region. New York: Knopf. p. 502. ISBN 0-394-50760-6.
- ^ Arnold, M. (2002). Landscape Plants for Texas and Environs. Stipes. ISBN 1-58874-153-2.
- ^ "Mexican Plum, Big Tree Plum, Inch Plum". Retrieved April 6, 2014.
- ^ Flora of North America, Prunus mexicana S. Watson, 1882. Mexican or bigtree plum
- ^ Flora of North America, Prunus americana
- ^ Shaw, J.; Small, R.L. (2005). "Chloroplast DNA phylogeny and phhylogeography of the North American Plums (Prunus subgenus Prunus section Prunocerasus, Rosaceae)". Am. J. Bot. 92 (12): 2011–30. doi:10.3732/ajb.92.12.2011. JSTOR 4125535. PMID 21646120. S2CID 207658064.
- ^ Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
External links edit
- "Prunus mexicana". Plants for a Future.
- photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in Nebraska in 2014