Subscribe to our newsletter. In 65 B.C., Pompey the Great introduced the plum to the orchards of Rome, and Alexander the Great eventually brought them to the Mediterranean regions. Early American colonists found wild plums growing along the east coast, but today the common European plum has replaced the native wild plum in popularity and as a commercial crop. The plum tree plays a significant role in Chinese mythology and is associated with great age and wisdom. Blossoms of the plum tree are carved on jade to signify resurrection.
Plums are now the second most cultivated fruit in the world, second only to apples.
The Prune Connection Plums are known as prunes in France, and earlier times, it is believed that both plum and prune meant the fresh fruit. Of course, in modern times, the prune is the dried version of the plum. Most prunes are made from the La Petite d'Agen variety of plum brought from France in 1856 by French horticulturist Louis Pellier . A new movement by the prune industry is to market prunes as plum raisins in hopes the new term will appeal more to younger people. Selection and Storage Select unwrinkled, smooth-skinned fruits with no blemishes, free of soft spots or discolorations.