The buds are lustrous, soft and silvery. Its name, a literal translation from the Chinese, probably comes from the very pale color of its liquor. The fruit of the Prumus domestica, the plum, is close to the cherry. The main difference between the two is size. In the middle ages the word plum meant virtually any dried fruit.
Plums come in a variety of colors including purple, black, green, orange and yellow.
The earliest cultivation of plums took place in China. Plums can be picked slightly before they are ripe and will reach perfect ripeness in a warm room. Refrigeration slows the ripening process but does not stop it. Plums are moist and succulent, have a firm flesh, high sugar content and dry easily without fermenting. Dried plums are known as prunes.