Prunus hortulana explained

Prunus hortulana, called the hortulan plum and wild goose plum, is a fruit shrub in the rose family found in the central United States in: Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia.^[1] Populations east of the Appalachians probably represent naturalizations.^[2]

Prunus hortulana is a deciduous tree with a trunk diameter of up to 15abbr=offNaNabbr=off and an overall height of 6m (20feet) or more. The leaves are green and hairless on the top, but hairy on the underside. White flowers in clusters of 2–4 appear in the spring. The edible fruits^[3] are red or yellow drupes with white dots, reportedly sweet and pleasant tasting. The species grows in upland forests and near streams.^{[4] [5] [6]}

There are several domesticated cultivars and hybrids with other Prunus.^[7]

External links

• • photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in Missouri in 2013, including photo showing ripe red fruits.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Prunus hortulana L. H. Bailey . Catalogue of Life. October 2013 . January 22, 2014.
2. http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Prunus%20hortulana.png Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
3. Book: Little, Elbert L.. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region. Knopf. New York. 1980. 0-394-50760-6. 499.
4. Web site: Prunus hortulana Bailey . Oklahoma Biological Survey . January 22, 2014.
5. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242417057 Flora of North America, Prunus hortulana L. H. Bailey, 1892. Hortulan or wild goose plum
6. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/34569158#page/106/mode/1up Bailey, Liberty Hyde 1892. Garden & Forest 5(209): 90
7. Book: Wight, William Franklin. Native American Species of Prunus . April 2, 1915. United States Department of Agriculture. Washington, D. C. . January 22, 2014.