Prunus mexicana
Prunus mexicana | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Rosales |
Family: | Rosaceae |
Genus: | Prunus |
Subgenus: | Prunus subg. Prunus |
Section: | Prunus sect. Prunocerasus |
Species: | P. mexicana
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Binomial name | |
Prunus mexicana | |
Generalized natural range of Prunus mexicana | |
Synonyms[2] | |
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Prunus mexicana, commonly known as the Mexican plum,[1] Inch plum, and Bigtree plum,[3] is a North American species of plum tree that can be found in the central United States and Northern Mexico.
Description
Prunus mexicana has a single trunk, an open crown, and reaches a height of 15–38 feet (4.6–11.6 m).
Prunus mexicana is very similar to Prunus americana, and they intergrade along a broad contact zone centered around Arkansas and Missouri. These intermediate individuals may be impossible to assign to a specific species.[7]
Taxonomy
Prunus mexicana is included in the section Prunocerasus.[8]
Distribution and habitat
The native range of the species stretches from South Dakota east to Wisconsin, Ohio, Kentucky, and Georgia, and south to the Mexican states of Coahuila and San Luis Potosí.[1][9]
It is usually found on woodland edges or in open fields. It is adaptable to a wide range of
Ecology
The fruit is eaten fresh by both mammals and birds.[3]
Uses
The fruit is made into preserves, and the tree can serve as a rootstock for grafting on other plum cultivars.[3]
Gallery
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Flowers of Prunus mexicana
References
- ^ a b c "Prunus mexicana". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- ^ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved January 27, 2014.
- ^ ISBN 0-394-50760-6.
- ISBN 1-58874-153-2.
- ^ "Mexican Plum, Big Tree Plum, Inch Plum". Retrieved April 6, 2014.
- ^ Flora of North America, Prunus mexicana S. Watson, 1882. Mexican or bigtree plum
- ^ Flora of North America, Prunus americana
- S2CID 207658064.
- ^ Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map