|
Beach Plum
(Prunus maritima) |
 |
 |
|
Branch with Leaves and Fruit This is the tastiest plum species on Earth. Enjoy the ripe fruit raw, straight off the bush, or cook the plums with a sweetener and thickener, strain out the seeds, and use in virtually any dessert. |
 |
|
Habitat
Beach plums are large shrubs that grow in thickets near the seashore from Maine to Delaware. They bloom in early spring. |
 |
|
Twig with Flowers
The showy, radially symmetrical, white petals bloom as the oval, pointed, finely toothed leaves are developing. |
 |
|
Flower Cluster
The clusters of white flowers create a showy display for insect and human eyes. |
 |
|
Flower Cluster and Leaves
Note the flowers' protruding stamens, and the shrub's reddish-brown bark. |
 |
|
Closeup of Flower
The yellow-brown anther at the tip of each stamen produces pollen, which insects transfer to the single, yellow pistil (female organ) protruding from the center of the flower. |
 |
|
Twig with Fruit and Leaves
Spherical, grape-sized, short-stalked fruit cluster on slender twigs, ripening in late summer and early fall. |
 |
|
Branches with Fruit
In a good year, the fruit can be quite abundant, sometimes even weighing down the branches. |
 |
|
Unripe Fruit
Unripe fruit is red, hard, and bitter. Note the branches' reddish-brown, somewhat warty bark. |
 |
|
Ripe Fruit Ripe fruit is sky-blue. Avoid overripe, deformed plums. |
 |
|
5 Plums Note the whitish, powdery coating, called a bloom, on each plum. Typical of plum, this protects the fruit from drying out. |
 |
|
Plum Closeup Note the ripe fruit's perfectly spherical shape, the short fruit stalk, and the scratches on the powdery bloom. |