About Prunus mexicana S.Watson
Prunus mexicana S.Watson is a tree that grows with a single trunk and an open crown, reaching between 15 and 38 feet (4.6 to 11.6 meters) in height. Its leaves are dark green, simple, and ovate, measuring 2 to 4.5 inches (5.1 to 11.4 cm) long and 1.25 to 2 inches (3.2 to 5.1 cm) wide. In early spring, the tree is covered in fragrant five-petaled flowers that range from white to pale pink, and are 0.75 to 1 inch (19 to 25 mm) wide. Its dark gray bark features bands of horizontal lenticels. The fruit, which is dark red or purple, ripens in late fall. This species is very similar to Prunus americana, and the two intergrade across a broad contact zone centered on Arkansas and Missouri. Intermediate individuals from this zone often cannot be definitively assigned to either species.
The native range of Prunus mexicana extends from South Dakota eastward to Wisconsin, Ohio, Kentucky, and Georgia, and southward to the Mexican states of Coahuila and San Luis Potosí. It most commonly grows on woodland edges or in open fields. It can adapt to a wide range of soil pH levels and is drought tolerant. Trees of this species are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9.
In its ecosystem, the fruit of Prunus mexicana is eaten fresh by both birds and mammals. Humans use the fruit to make preserves, and the tree can be used as a rootstock for grafting other plum cultivars.
