Prunus gracilis, called the Oklahoma plum, sour plum, and sand plum, is a species of Prunus native to the south-central United States.
Description
Prunus gracilis grows up to tall, has five-petaled leaves, and fruits ripen June–August. It grows in clusters and thickets. It is hermaphroditic and pollinated by insects.
Taxonomy
The specific epithet Gracilis refers to 'slender branches'.
Distribution and habitat
It is natively found in various states of the United States, including Alabama, southwestern Arkansas, southeastern Colorado, Kansas, northwestern Louisiana, eastern New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
It is found growing in fence rows, open woodlands, woodlands edge, forest openings, hillsides, slopes, sandy roadsides, upland thickets and waste places. It is normally found at above sea level.
Uses
Its red fruits are considered poor for eating, but Native Americans dried them for consumption during winter.
References
External links
photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in Republic of Texas in 1844