Chickasaw plum

The Chickasaw Plum (Prunus angustifolia) in the Richard T. Bowers Historic Tree Grove and all over the MOSI site have burst into beautiful white blooms. Softly fragrant, these blossoms appear even before leaves on the bare branches of the tree and bees and butterflies are drawn to the fragrant spring blooms for nectar.

Chickasaw plum is a short native Florida tree that will reach a height of about 15 feet at maturity. It grows in a dense arrangement of branches and twigs that is perfect for nesting birds and it can form a nice screen for privacy in the summer. If left untended, new trees will spring up as sucker growth and a small thicket will form naturally.

This tree is deciduous and drops its leaves in the winter but the profuse blooms in the spring and delicious plums make it entirely worthwhile. The edible golden fruit form in the later part of the summer and ripen to a lovely red color.

Chickasaw plum was one of the first fruits to be domesticated in North America and was planted in orchards by the Creek Confederacy. American Naturalist William Bartram observed Native Americans gathering fruit from these abandoned orchards as he traveled throughout the American southeast in the late 18th century.

If you want to know more about the interesting history of this fruit and other native foods, check out Renewing America’s Food Traditions edited by Gary Nabhan.