You may have heard of American plums, but there’s another plum native to Pennsylvania that is reported to have even better tasting fruit. In fact, they were cultivated by Indigenous people long before the arrival of colonists. While Prunus americana can tolerate growing in part sun, Prunus angustifolia truly thrives in full sun locations. It is threatened by loss of habitat due to succession and invasive species.
Since we are at the northernmost region for this species, it is well adapted to the increasingly warming climate. Where both species overlap, they can occasionally hybridize to produce Prunus × orthosepala.
While not ranked in PA, it is considered S2 critically imperiled in New Jersey. The color on BONAP indicates it is rare in PA. For this reason I’m including it in the species of concern category for our state.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.