How to Identify Plum Trees
The American plum tree, also called the wild plum, has an extensive range over most of the eastern two-thirds of the United States. The tree bears a sweet fruit that when ripe is a fine source of pectin. People seek these fruits for use in such dishes as jellies and jams. A member of the rose family, the American plum has close ties to such tree species as the hawthorn, the chokecherry, the crabapple and the pear. Those unfamiliar with a wild plum tree can use certain features to identify it. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Study the leaves of an American plum tree. These leaves are oblong and are ovate, meaning that they possess a broad base that tapers to a much narrower end, much like a spear point does. The leaves are alternate, a botanical term that describes one leaf at each separate node on a twig. The plum leaf is between 3 and 4 inches in length and 1 to 2 inches in width. The margins of the leaves have serrated edges and in the fall, the plum tree will typically turn chartreuse, with some leaves changing to orange, yellow or red.
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Look for the flowers that develop on an American plum in the spring. These flowers are white and occur on the branches in the early spring, even before the leaves start to grow. Plum flowers are white and grow in clusters ranging between two and five individuals. You may recognize a plum by the pungent smell of its flowers.
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Observe the fruit of the plum as it develops through the late spring and summer into the fall. It will be an inch in diameter and round with yellow-green flesh in the early stages. As the plum ripens the color goes to a reddish or yellow shade on the outside, while the inside of the plum will be yellow.
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Note the appearance and size of the plum tree. American plum grows to 20 feet high in most instances but its canopy can have a spread as wide as 25 feet. The upper twigs are thick and the branches possess thorns. The trunk of a plum tree can reach a foot across and plum trees often grow together in thickets, especially in spots where the soil is moist.
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