Prunus mexicana

Prunus mexicana
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Rosaceae
Genus:	Prunus
Subgenus:	Prunus
Section:	Prunocerasus[1]
Species:	P. mexicana
Binomial name
Prunus mexicana S.Watson[2]
Natural range of Prunus mexicana
Synonyms[3]
Prunus lanata (Sudw.) Mack. & Bush

Prunus mexicana, commonly known as the Mexican Plum,^[2] is a species of plum tree that is found in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States as well as Northern Mexico. Its native range stretches from South Dakota and Ohio in the north to as far south as Alabama and Coahuila.^[2] Mexican Plum is widely cultivated, such as on the west coast of the United States. It has a single trunk and reaches a height of 15–38 feet (4.6–11.6 m).^[4]

Typically found on woodland edges or in open fields, the Mexican Plum has dark green, simple ovate leaves, fragrant white to whitish pink flowers, and dark grey bark banded with horizontal lenticels. Mexican Plums are adaptable to a wide range of soil pH and are drought-tolerant. They are hardy in USDA zones 7 to 9. ^[5] Early in the spring it is covered with clouds of white fragrant flowers that are up to an inch wide. The dark red or purple fruit ripens late in the fall.^[6]

References