Prunus angustifolia Marshall

Chickasaw Plum; Sand Plum

Shrub

Perennial

Vascular

Chickasaw Plum is a thicket forming shrub in the Rose family (Rosaceae). It is found throughout Alabama. Chickasaw Plum grows to a height of three to fifteen feet. It is often cultivated and can be found around old home sites, fence rows, old fields, on roadsides, and in disturbed sandy woods. The truck is often crooked with many branches. The branches tend to be stouter than on other Plum species, and thick thorny spurs are common. Prominent lenticels are present on the larger limbs and trunk. Like many Plums, this species often forms thickets from root suckers. The leaves are alternate, deciduous, lance shaped, and toothed along the margins. Leaves tend to fold upwards along the midrib. The white, five-petaled, fragrant flowers are produced in umbels before the leaves emerge. This is one of the first Plum species to flower in our area. The flowers are followed by sweet red, yellow, or orange drupes. The fruit are eaten by humans and a wide variety of wildlife. Chickasaw Plum was widely cultivated by Native Americans before the arrival of Europeans. Some believe that the native range of this species is in the Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas area, and that plants in our area are the result of repeated escapes from cultivation. Plum species often hybridize, and hybrids between this species and Hog Plum (Prunus umbellata Elliott) are commonly encountered. These hybrids often have more slender twigs, and the fruits are smaller and very sour. Chickasaw Plum is easily cultivated. It prefers full sun and sandy soils. The trees are short lived, but produce an abundance of seed and suckers, so replacement is not a problem. Chickasaw Plum is available from nurseries that specialize in native plants for wildlife, or it can be grow from seed.—A. Diamond

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Native

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