Prunus angustifolia
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- PROO-nus an-gus-tee-FOH-lee-uh
- This plant has medium severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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Chickasaw Plum is a flowering, deciduous, multi-stemmed small tree or shrub in the rose family and native to the southern United States. At maturity, it can reach a height of 20 feet with an equal spread. The leaves are alternate with a finely toothed margin. The bark is smooth and red with numerous elongated light lenticels. As the tree ages, the bark becomes scaly and shallowly furrowed. In early spring, small, 5-petaled, fragrant white flowers mature in clumps. The small tree produces a 1/2-inch, yellow-to-red drupe that mature in summer.
The Chickasaw plum grows best in average, medium, well-drained soils in full sun or part shade, but it will tolerate a wide range of soil types and growing conditions. In nature and left to its own devices, it is typically a thicket-forming shrub with suckers that form large colonies. You can, however, prevent unwanted spread by promptly removing the root suckers.
Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems:
Plum curculio and brown rot can affect the fruit of the Chickasaw plum. Watch for leaf spot, canker and black knot. Insect problems include aphids, scale, borers and tent caterpillars.
- See this plant in the following landscape :
- Cultivars / Varieties:
- 'Guthrie'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
- 'Guthrie'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Prunus
- Species:
- angustifolia
- Family:
- Rosaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Native Americans regularly consumed the fruit fresh or dried it for winter.
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Central and Eastern United States
- Distribution:
- Pennsylvania south to Florida, west to Texas, and north to Colorado.
- Fire Risk Rating:
- low flammability
- Wildlife Value:
- Thickets provide good cover for songbirds and small mammals year round. This plant provides nectar for pollinators and is a larval host plant for several species of butterflies. You may see Coral Hairstreak (Satyrium titus) which has one flight from May-August, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), which has three flights from February-November in the deep south and March-September in the north, Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon) which has many flights from January-October at the gulf coast getting shorter as you move north, Viceroy (Limenitis archippus) which has two to three broods May-September, and Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax) has two broods from April-October. Fruits are eaten by songbirds, wild turkeys, quail, white-tailed deer, and small mammals.
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- fire in the landscape.
- Edibility:
- The fruit is safe to eat. The pits, foliage, and stems are not. Although the plums may be eaten raw, they are somewhat tart and acidic, and are perhaps best used in preserves and jellies, rather than consumed raw.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 4 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 4 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Native Plant
- Shrub
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Clumping
- Dense
- Multi-stemmed
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
- Appendage:
- Thorns
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 24-60 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Red/Burgundy
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Berry
- Nut
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Small, cherry-like, edible, red to yellow 1/2 inch plums ripen in early to mid summer.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Umbel
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Two to four clusters of 5 petaled, white, 1/2 inch flowers bloom along the stems in March and April before the foliage emerges.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Lanceolate
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Dentate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- The leaves of the Chickasaw plum are toothed, narrow, oval-lanceolate, and bright green (1 to 3 inches long).
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Bark:
- Surface/Attachment:
- Furrowed
- Scaly
- Bark Description:
- Initially smooth, but turns furrowed and scaly.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Red/Burgundy
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- The branches and twigs are an attractive reddish-brown and sometimes have thorny lateral branchlets.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Slope/Bank
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Native Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Barrier
- Border
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Pollinators
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Erosion
- Fire
- Problems:
- Problem for Cats
- Problem for Dogs
- Problem for Horses
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Poisonous to Humans:
- Poison Severity:
- Medium
- Poison Symptoms:
- The pits contain cyanide compounds, which are poisonous. If a couple of pits are accidentally swallowed, it will not cause poisoning. The pits are more poisonous if they are ground up/crushed or the seeds are chewed. Fruit that has not been pitted should not be blended into a smoothie. Symptoms include gasping, weakness, excitement, pupil dilation, spasms, convulsions, coma, respiratory failure.
- Poison Toxic Principle:
- Cyanogenic glycosides
- Causes Contact Dermatitis:
- No
- Poison Part:
- Leaves
- Seeds
- Stems
