It's the end of July. This has been a hot and dry month, so we're continuing our review of shade trees in the arboretum collection. The Mexican plum (
Prunus mexicana) is primarily known for its early-spring flowers, which are quite showy in a late-winter, early-spring landscape, but much can be said of this tree in the summer as well. The Mexican plum produces high-quality, tasty (if a bit astringent) fruit and provides a good amount of shade for those of us looking for relief from the sun.
Prunus mexicana does very well in the arboretum, perhaps, in part, because it grows wild in Caddo parish. In 1996, Jack Price collected three seedlings from Jimmy and Audrey Simpson's property in Northern Caddo parish. Ed Leuck planted these trees in November 1997, on the south-facing slope near the Student Union Building. The trees have done well in this location and continue to produce very good fruit.
All pictures below were taken shortly after 11 a.m., on a sunny July morning.
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| The late-morning sun blazes on the east side of this copse of Mexican plums. It's shady underneath. |
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| The trunk of an on-site native southern red oak (Quercus falcata) is pictured to the left of the Mexican plums. |
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| Branch of Prunus mexicana: Both leaves and dangling plum fruits block the sun. |
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| Detail of Prunus mexicana branch: these fruits need time to ripen. |
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| Some branches are loaded with fruit clusters. |
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| When ripe, the fruits of Prunus mexicana are a delightful mix of reddish-purple, pink, and orange. |
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| The ovate leaves of Prunus mexicana have serrate edges and feel fuzzy to the touch. |
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| The individual trees compete against one another for sunlight and provide a great deal of shade for us. |
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| Not much grows in the shade of these Mexican plums; however, every spring, new Mexican plum trees sprout from the previous year's fallen fruits, making it easy to collect seedlings for relocation. |
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| The peeling, flaky bark of the Mexican plum can be appreciated all year round. |
You can find more pictures of the arboretum's Mexican plums
here.
For more information about this species consult the following:
United States Department of Agriculture
Aggie Horticulture
University of Florida
