Wild Plums (Prunus)

Wild Plums are blooming across Florida now and they are stunning.  As the trees reach full bloom their showy display of white flowers had me pulling of the side of the road taking pictures and deciding, “I want to grow this plant.”

As it turns out, at this stage of development, it is hard to tell whether these are Prunus angustifolia (Chickasaw Plum) or Prunus umbellata (Flatwoods Plum). These species exhibit many similarities but at later stages of development there are key morphological differences that will help me tell the two apart.  I have made a chart listing the similarities and differences of these two species based on my own observations, literature I have read, and correspondence with Craig Hugel.

Prunus angustifolia ( Chickasaw Plum)	Prunus umbellata (Flatwoods Plum)
Deciduous	Deciduous
Flowers are white with 5 petals	Flowers are white with 5 petals
Flowers in Spring before leaves flush	Flowers in Spring before leaves flush
Flowers attract bees	Flowers attract bees
Grows up to +/- 20 feet tall	Grows up to  +/- 15 feet tall
Multi-trunked or crooked stems	Tall thin single trunked tree
Wide crown	Narrow crown
Mature leaf has a distinct “V” fold	Mature leaf has a slight “V” fold and flatter
Moderate salt tolerance	No salt tolerance
Fruit is +/- ½” in diameter	Fruit is +/- ½” in diameter
Fruit is red to yellow	Fruit is red to purple
Fruit is tart and makes a good jelly	Fruit is tart and makes a good jelly
Fruit attracts wildlife	Fruit attracts wildlife

Thanks to Craig Hugel for information that helped me put this together.

http://pinellas.fnpschapters.org/wildplums.html