Prunus salicina
Encyclopedia
Prunus salicina commonly called the Chinese plum or Japanese plum, is a small deciduous
tree native
to China
. It is now also grown in fruit orchards in Korea
, Japan
, the United States
, and Australia
.
Prunus salicina should not be confused with the Prunus mume, a related species of plum
also grown in China, Japan, and Korea. Another tree, the Korean cherry - (Prunus japonica), is also a separate species despite having a Latin name similar to Prunus salicinas common name.
are 6-12 cm long and 2.5-5 cm broad, with a serrated margin. The flower
s are produced in early spring, 2 cm diameter with five white petals.
The fruit
is a drupe
4-7 cm in diameter with yellow-pink flesh; it can be harvested in the summer. When fully ripe it can be eaten raw.
called sumomo shu (すもも酒),photo and in China a liquor is made from the fruits.http://www.myttc.cn/viewpro.jsp?id=4867&proid=7033. For other uses of this and similar species see plum
.
.http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Prunus+salicina&CAN=COMIND
. Prunus salicina is also widely cultivated in Japan
and Korea
. The most famous variety of this fruit in Vietnam is the Tam Hoa plum grown in Bắc Hà
town, in the Lào Cai province
.
Cultivars of the species were greatly improved in Japan and thence introduced into the United States in the latter half of the 19th century, where subsequent breeding produced many more cultivars, generally with larger fruit. Many of these American cultivars have been exported to other countries, including back to Japan, their ancestral place of origin.
Most of the fresh plums sold in North American supermarkets are Prunus salicina cultivars. They are grown on a large scale in a number of other countries, for example, they dominate the stone fruit
industry in Western Australia
.http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/servlet/page?_pageid=449&_dad=portal30&_schema=PORTAL30&p_start_url=/pls/portal30/docs/FOLDER/IKMP/AAP/HBH/BULLETIN4298_PLUM.HTM
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
tree native
Native plant
Native plant is a term to describe plants endemic or naturalized to a given area in geologic time.This includes plants that have developed, occur naturally, or existed for many years in an area...
to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It is now also grown in fruit orchards in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Prunus salicina should not be confused with the Prunus mume, a related species of plum
Plum
A plum or gage is a stone fruit tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera in the shoots having a terminal bud and solitary side buds , the flowers in groups of one to five together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one...
also grown in China, Japan, and Korea. Another tree, the Korean cherry - (Prunus japonica), is also a separate species despite having a Latin name similar to Prunus salicinas common name.
Description
Prunus salicina grows up to 10 metres (32.8 ft) tall, and has reddish-brown shoots. The leavesLeaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are 6-12 cm long and 2.5-5 cm broad, with a serrated margin. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are produced in early spring, 2 cm diameter with five white petals.
The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is a drupe
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
4-7 cm in diameter with yellow-pink flesh; it can be harvested in the summer. When fully ripe it can be eaten raw.
Culinary
In China, candied fruits are also sold preserved, flavoured with sugar, salt, and liquorice. In Japan, it is also used half ripe as a flavouring in a liqueurLiqueur
A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavored with fruit, herbs, nuts, spices, flowers, or cream and bottled with added sugar. Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavors to marry.The...
called sumomo shu (すもも酒),photo and in China a liquor is made from the fruits.http://www.myttc.cn/viewpro.jsp?id=4867&proid=7033. For other uses of this and similar species see plum
Plum
A plum or gage is a stone fruit tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera in the shoots having a terminal bud and solitary side buds , the flowers in groups of one to five together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one...
.
Etymology
The species name is derived from the Latin word for willowWillow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
.http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Prunus+salicina&CAN=COMIND
Cultivation
Many different varieties of Prunus salicina, some being hybrid species, are cultivated in ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Prunus salicina is also widely cultivated in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. The most famous variety of this fruit in Vietnam is the Tam Hoa plum grown in Bắc Hà
Bac Ha
Bắc Hà is a rural district of Lao Cai province in the Northeastern region of Vietnam. Bac Ha is the location holding the famous contest on adventure sport "Raid Gauloises" in 2002. Bac Ha is famous for its Tam Hoa plum which must bloom three times before they are ripe. As of 2003, the district had...
town, in the Lào Cai province
Lao Cai Province
Lào Cai , is a province of northeastern in the mountainous region of Vietnam, bordering the province of Yunnan in the China. The province covers an area of 6383.9 square kilometres and as of 2008 it had a population of 602,300 people....
.
Cultivars of the species were greatly improved in Japan and thence introduced into the United States in the latter half of the 19th century, where subsequent breeding produced many more cultivars, generally with larger fruit. Many of these American cultivars have been exported to other countries, including back to Japan, their ancestral place of origin.
Most of the fresh plums sold in North American supermarkets are Prunus salicina cultivars. They are grown on a large scale in a number of other countries, for example, they dominate the stone fruit
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
industry in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/servlet/page?_pageid=449&_dad=portal30&_schema=PORTAL30&p_start_url=/pls/portal30/docs/FOLDER/IKMP/AAP/HBH/BULLETIN4298_PLUM.HTM