Wild Plum - Prunus domesticus

Scientific Name: Prunus domesticus (Rosaceae).

English Name: Wild Plum (Rose family).

French Name: Le Prunier (='plum tree') or le Prunier cultivé (='cultivated plum tree').

5 Key Characters:

• very variable.
• a small to medium sized tree (not a shrub).
• no thorns.
• flowers very early in the year (late winter or early spring).
• fruit can be ovoid or spherical, red, yellow, green or purple (2 - 8 cm in diameter).
  

Lookalikes: Cherry Plum P. cerasifera, which is much less common and has smooth round stones, not almond shaped sharp edged rough stones.

Habitat: Hedges, thickets and woodlands.

Flowering Period: January-February-March-April-May.

Status: Common. Usually 'escaped' from cultivation, from seed - hence the extreme variability. The fruit is highly regarded for jam making.

Photographed by Loire Valley Nature: