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| ## wild plum {#wild-plum .Title-Header}                               |
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| *Prunus americana* Marsh.                                             |
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| Plant Symbol = PRAM                                                   |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center & Missouri State
Office

### ![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.6055555555555556in" height="2.448611111111111in"}

#### Alternative Names

American plum, American wild plum, sandhill plum, Osage plum, river
plum, sand cherry, thorn plum, wild yellow plum, red plum, August plum,
goose plum, hog plum, and sloe

#### Uses

*Ethnobotanic*: Wild plum fruit was and still is extensively consumed by
the Indians of the prairies, either fresh or made into a sauce
(Kindscher 1987). The Pawnee, Kiowa, Comanche, Omaha, Teton Dakota,
Lakota, Comanche, Crow, Assiniboin, and Kiowa ate the wild plums or
chickasaw plums (*Prunus angustifolia*) fresh or dried. Plums were also
pitted and dried, although the Pawnee reportedly often dried them
without removing the pits (Gilmore 1977). Early explorers and travelers
of the Prairie Bioregion often mentioned wild plums in their journals
and diaries and also appreciated them as food (Kindscher 1987). Today
wild plums are eaten fresh, canned, preserved in jams and jellies,
baked, and made into fruit roll-ups.

The Omaha scraped and boiled the bark from the roots of the wild plum
and applied it to abrasions (Gilmore 1977, Kindscher 1992). They bound
together the twigs of the wild plum and made them into a broom. The
Cheyenne mixed the crushed

fruits of the wild plum with salt to treat mouth disease (Hart 1981).
They also crushed and boiled the small rootlets and the bark of older
wild plum with the roots of the scarlet thorn (*Crataegus chrysocarpa*)
as a diarrhea remedy (Youngken 1925). The Mesquakies used the root bark
of the wild plum to cure canker sores around the mouth (Smith 1928).

The Teton Dakota used the sprouts or young growth of the wild plum as a
wand in the "waunyampi" ceremony (Gilmore 1977). This is an offering or
form of prayer, consisting of a wand made from a peeled and painted wild
plum sprout. The "waunyampi" ceremony is usually offered with prayers
for the sick.

The various species of wild plum are astringent and sedative, and the
bark is a tonic (Smythe 1901). The roots and bark contain a bitter
substance as well as a substance called phloretin, which is an active
agent against gram positive and negative bacteria (Lewis and Elvin-Lewis
1977).

*Wildlife*: Wild plums are eaten by turkey, black bear, and wolves
(Thwaites 1904). Foxes, black-headed grosbeaks, and ring-tailed cats
utilize wild plums (Martin et al. 1951). Plum thickets often furnish
valuable protective shelter.

*Conservation*: Wild plums have been recommended for their drought
resistance and widely planted in shelter belts in the western Great
Plains (Jerry Kaiser pers. comm. 1999). They also make good wildlife
habitat and are effective in erosion control because their roots hold
the soil. Their thorny branches catch tumbleweeds, leaves, and other
plant materials, which, when windstorms occur during times of drought,
provide an effective means of slowing wind erosion of soil.

#### Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status, such as, state noxious
status, and wetland indicator values.

#### Description

*General*: Rose Family (Rosaceae). Wild plum (*Prunus americana*) is a
shrub or small tree 3-8 m (3-24 ft) tall, and are usually forming
thickets. The small branches are sometimes spiny. The leaves are
alternate, egg-shaped to oval, 6-10 cm (2-4 in) long. The upper leaf
surface is shiny green and the lower surface is slightly hairy; leaf
margins are sharply toothed. The white roseaceous flowers are in-groups
of 2-5 at the ends of branchlets. Flowers usually appear before the
leaves in April and May. There are five separate, oval petals 8-12 mm
(5/16-1/2 in) long. The reddish-purple plums are fleshy, oval, 2.0-2.7
cm (0.75-1.25 in) long; each fruit contains one seed. Wild plum flowers
are insect pollinated.

#### Distribution

For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this
species on the PLANTS Web site. The range is from Massachusetts west to
Manitoba and Montana, south to Utah, Colorado, and Oklahoma, east to
Florida, and north to New York (Stephens 1975).

#### Establishment

*Adaptation*: Wild plum grows in prairies, woodlands, pastures, and
along roadsides and riverbanks.

Wild plums can be planted from seed and they are relatively easy to
transplant. Plant in well drained soil; wild plum tolerates shade.
Flowering occurs in April and May and fruit ripens from August to
September. The plant has fruit every year.

*Propagation from Cuttings*: *Prunus americana* cuttings are not easy to
root. Hardwood cuttings taken in late January have been rooted. Hardwood
cuttings are those made of matured, dormant hardwood after leaves have
abscised and before new shoots emerge in the spring. Material should be
taken from healthy, moderately vigorous stock plants grown in full
sunlight. Central and basal portions (not the tip) of a shoot make the
best cuttings. Cuttings vary from 10 to 76 cm (4 to 30 in). Ensure that
at least two nodes are included in the cutting; the basal cut is just
below a node and the top cut is 1.3 to 2.5 cm (0.5-1 in) above a node.

It is important that hardwood cuttings not dry out during handling and
storage. Dip bases of hardwood cuttings with IBA at 20,000 ppm liquid
formulation to promote rooting. Alternatively, treat with 2% IBA talc.
This will promote rooting on both suckers and stem cuttings. Dip the
cuttings into root promoting hormone, IBA at 2000 ppm, for a few
seconds, then keep in the dark at temperatures of 10º (50ºF). Plant the
cuttings in open ground in prepared holes with good potting soil. Firm
the soil around the cuttings and water. To ensure survival of cuttings
through the following winter in cold climates, the potted cuttings
should be kept in heated cold frames or poly-houses to hold the
temperature between 0-7°C (32-45°F). Rooted cuttings that had shoot
growth in the fall, but were not given nitrogen, had the best
over-winter survival in a cold frame with microfoam.

*Propagation from Seed*: Harvest the fruit in the summer when ripe (the
fruit turns dark purple), usually in August. Remove the pulp or fruit
from the seed. Seeds can be extracted by maceration and recovered by
flotation. Put the seed in a 50ºF cooler over the winter. For prolonged
storage, seeds must be air dried and stored in sealed containers at cold
temperatures. The seeds can also be planted outdoors in the fall so they
are naturally "cold stratified." Natural germination occurs
predominantly in the first or second year after seedfall, depending on
the year.

If sowing seed in the fall, it is important to sow early enough so seeds
can pre-chill before seedbeds freeze. This can be overcome by mulching
the seedbeds. Seedlings reach suitable size for transplanting in one to
two years. Cold stratifying up to 6 months in a moist environment can
break seed dormancy. Wild plum seeds have fairly low germination. There
are 6.5 seeds per gram.

#### Management

Wild plum grows on the edges of prairies and woodlands. Traditional
resource managers burned this community regularly, thus maintaining the
patchwork mosaic of prairie and woods on the landscape (Thwaites 1906).
Burning provided habitat for wild plum to become established, and the
nutrient enrichment increased fruit production. The branches of wild
plum were often pruned or cut back to increase production.

#### Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

'Blackhawk', 'Hawkeye', and 'De Soto' cultivars are descendents of the
wild species (Kindscher 1987). There are many different cultivars of
*Prunus* species developed for both ornamental flowers and edible
fruits. Consult your local nurseries to choose the right cultivar for
your specific landscape.

Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil
Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone
book under "United States Government." The Natural Resources
Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading "Department of
Agriculture."

#### References

Andros, F. 1883. *The medicine and surgery of the Winnebago and Dakota
Indians*. American Medical Association Journal 1:116-118.

Beichel, C., E. McDonald, & T. Cole (*eds*.) 1993. *Encyclopedia of
gardening*. Dorling Kindersley, London, New York, Stuttgart. 648 pp.

Carlson, G.G. & V.H. Jones 1939*.* *Some notes on use of plants by the
Comanche Indians*. Michigan Academy of Science, Arts, and Letters
25:517-543.

Gilmore, M.R. 1977 (1919). *Uses of plants by the Indians of the
Missouri River region*. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Reprint of a work first published as the 33^rd^ Annual Report of the
Bureau of American Ethnology. Washington, D.C.

Grinnell, G.B. 1962. *The Cheyenne Indians*. 2 Vols. Cooper Square
Publishers, New York, New York.

Hart, J. A. 1976. *Montana native plants and early peoples*. Montana
Historical Society, Helena, Montana.

Imhoff, J. 2000. *Wild edible plants of Wisconsin*.
\<http://www.wisc.edu/botit/Wisc_edib/\>. Version: 000323. University of
Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin.

Kaiser, J. 1999. Personal communication. State Plant Materials
Specialist, USDA, NRCS, Plant Materials Center, Elsberry, Missouri.

Kindscher, K. 1992. *Medicinal wild plants of the prairie*. *An
ethnobotanical guide*. University Press of Kansas. 340 pp.

Kindscher, K. 1987. *Edible wild plants of the prairie*. University
Press of Kansas. 276 pp.

Lewis, W.H. & M. Elvin-Lewis 1977. *Medical botany*. Wiley, New York,
New York.

Martin, A.C., H.S. Zim, & A.L. Nelson 1951. *American wildlife and
plants a guide to wildlife food habits.* Dover Publications, Inc., New
York, New York. 500 pp.

M^c^Clintock, W. 1909. *Materia medica of the Blackfeet*. Zeitschrift
fur Ethnologie: 273-279.

McGregor, R.L., T.M. Barkley, R.E. Brooks, & E.K. Schofield (eds.) 1985.
*Flora of the Great Plains*. Great Plains Flora Association. University
Press of Kansas. 1402 pp.

Moerman, D.E. 1986. *Medicinal plants of Native America*. Research
Reports in Ethnobotany, Contribution 2, University of Michigan Museum of
Anthropology Technical Reports, Number 19. 534 pp.

Schopmeyer, Technical Coordinator 1974. *Seeds of woody plants in the
United States*. Agriculture Handbook No. 450. Forest Service, USDA,
Washington, D.C.

Smith, H.H. 1928. *Ethnobotany of the Ojibwa Indians*. Bulletin of the
Public Museum of the City of Milwaukee 4(3):327-525.

Smythe, B.B. 1901. *Preliminary list of medicinal and economic Kansas
plants*. Kansas Academy of Science Transactions 18:191-209.

Stephens, H.A. 1973. *Woody plants of the north central plains*. The
University Press of Kansas. 530 pp.

Thwaites, R.G. (ed.) 1904. *Original journals of the Lewis and Clark
expedition*. 6 Vols. Dodd, Mead, and Company, New York, New York.

USDA, NRCS 2000. *The PLANTS database*. Version: 000323.
\<http://plants.usda.gov\>. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge,
Louisiana.

Young, J.A. & C.G. Young 1974. *Collecting, processing, and germinating
seeds of wildland plants*. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon.

Youngken, H.W. 1924. *The drugs of the North American Indian*. American
Journal of Pharmacy 96: 485-502.

#### Prepared By

*Michelle Stevens*

Formerly USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center

*Jerry Kaiser*

USDA NRCS Missouri State Office, Elsberry, Missouri

#### Species Coordinator

##### *M. Kat Anderson*

USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center

c/o Plant Sciences Department, University of California, Davis,
California

Edited 04dec00 jsp; 29may03 ahv; 060808 jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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