[suelandress]

Can anyone tell me about this plants fruit? Sweet? Tart? (Edible??)
It says it's botonical name is Prunus Americana, which I can't find in any of my tree catalogues (this is an ebay item) I thought the Prunus family was actually cherries....so much for what I know

 

[WV Rebel]

http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/Syllabus2/pamericana.htm

 

[Gayle in KY]

I just pruned a thicket of wild plums last weekend. I've been working on getting them shaped and bearing fruit for the past 8 years (they were seriously overgrown). During my research, I found they require another plum variety for pollination. Mine had a few plums, but, when the new plums began blooming, last year, they had noticeably more.
The wild plums, although small, are quite sweet and juicy. I've been told they make good jelly, jam, and wine. You can eat them out of hand, too. That fact is why I can't speak from experience about the jam, jelly, or wine- 5 kids, all fruit-eaters.
If the trees on Ebay are whips, they will probably begin bearing in 4 to 6 years, if you have another variety of plum nearby.

 

[big rockpile]

I've used them for Plum Butter.I got a bunch from our Conservation Department.I think they were $6 for 25 plants.

big rockpile

 

[Guest]

Sue, we have a big wild plum tree on our fenceline and it's plums are very sweet, though slightly smaller than store-bought types. I like the flavor more than the grocery store kind. If you happen to live nearby (doubtful) you'd be welcome to all the suckers you want-- I probably mow 25 or 30 every summer and they sure seem to grow fast.

 

[RANDEL]

fyi,
the genus prunus includes plums, cherries, apricots and peaches. these r also referred to as "stonefruit." the almond is also in the genus Prunus. the fact that they r so closely related explains why grafts r possible between them, and also why some hybridizing is possible, eg., so-called "pluot" and "aprium" which r crosses between plum and apricot.