Flatwoods Plum Care

Prunus umbellata, called flatwoods plum, hog plum and sloe plum, is a plum species native to the United States from Virginia, south to Florida, and west to Texas.

Prunus umbellata can reach 20 ft (6.1 m) in height with a 15 ft (4.6 m) spread. It has alternate serrate green leaves that turn yellow in autumn. Flowers are white, creamy, or grayish. Fruits are round, purple, and 0.5–1 in (1.3–2.5 cm) in diameter.[4] P. umbellata trees can live up to 40 years and are very difficult to distinguish from Prunus angustifolia, with which it hybridizes easily. The trees bloom and bear fruit later than other plums. The fruits mature August–October. Large crops appear only every 3-4 years. The fruits are made into jellies and jams.

A native of the woods of the southeastern United States, Flatwoods Plum is a round-topped, deciduous tree, reaching 20 feet in height with a 15-foot spread, that is most often planted for its spectacular display of blooms. It may look a little ragged in winter. In late February, before the two-inch-long, finely serrate leaves appear, these small trees take on a white, billowy, almost cloud-like appearance when they are clothed in the profuse, small, white flower clusters. These half-inch blooms are followed by one-inch-long, edible, purple fruits which vary in flavor from very tart to sweet. These plums are very attractive to various forms of wildlife.