American Plum
Leaf Characteristics
- broad, flat leaves
- simple leaves
- not lobed
- fine, double teeth
- all teeth same size
- shorter stem
- all side veins same length
- leaves long, not narrow
- veins curved
- less than 5" long
- stem less than 1/3 length of leaf
- long tip, small veins dense
Fruit Characteristics
- other fruit (not cone, winged, acorn, or in pod or capsule)
- without husk or capsules
- loose, not packed tightly together
- fruit with large pit
- whole fruit larger than 1 inch
- fruit blue or red at maturity
American Plum
Prunus americana
The American Plum (Prunus americana) has dark brown bark that is scaly. Its leaf margins are sharply toothed, and the twigs are orange-brown in color. It is native to North America and is found throughout much of the eastern U.S., westward to Oklahoma, and northward to Montana and southeastern Saskatchewan. The American Plum grows wild throughout the state of Ohio.
The Canada Plum (Prunus nigra) is a more northern tree of North America. The leaf margins are bluntly toothed, and the twigs are greenish in color. This tree grows in southern Canada and the northern U.S. west to Illinois and Minnesota. In Ohio it is found in a few of the northern counties.
Tree Size
height 10' - 30'
diameter 5" - 12"
Bark
Flower