Prunus subcordata

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Prunus subcordata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Rosales Family: Rosaceae Subfamily: Prunoideae Genus: Prunus Subgenus: Prunus Section: Prunocerasus Species: P. subcordata
Binomial name
Prunus subcordata Benth.

Klamath plum, also called Oregon plum, or Sierra plum (Prunus subcordata) is a member of the genus Prunus (plum, cherry, and other stone fruit), native to the west coast of the United States in California and southern Oregon. It grows in forests, most often at low elevation near the coast, but it is also in the Sierra Nevada and Cascades; it grows at altitudes of 100–1,900 m.^[1][2]

It is an erect deciduous shrub or small tree growing to 8 m in height. It sprouts from its roots and can form dense, spiny thickets. The bark is gray with horizontal brown lenticels, similar in appearance to that of the cherry tree. The leaves are 2.5–5 cm long with a 4–15 mm petiole, dark green, turning red before falling, and are faintly serrated. The flowers are pink or white, appearing in the spring in clusters of one to seven together. The fruit is a small plum-like drupe, variable in appearance, 15–25 mm in length, and may be red or yellow; they are mature in late summer. The plums are small and tart but edible.^[1][3]

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