Prunus americana

Prunus americana

The American Wild Plum (Prunus americana ), also called prairie plum. The yellow plums like fruits are tasty. English it is called an American Plum or Wild Plum, the Lakota called Kanta ( Shasha ) which means approximately " ( Red ) plum ".

Description

The American wild plum is a small tree or shrub that tends to dwarfing and thicket formation, often has a strong, twisted trunk and branches is often. In the prairie he tends to ever produce many thin rods that branch bulky. Short branches often degenerate into strong spines, similar to the sloes.

The oval, slightly leathery leaves is opposite, fresh bright green and somewhat translucent and 8 to 9 inches long, finely doubly serrate and pointed at the end.

The flowering period lasts from April to May the flowers, similar to sprout like Mirabelle European species, even before the leaves. Numerous sweetly fragrant, white flowers are then in decorative buds on the branches, particularly common to the two-year branches. In late onset of winter the flowers freeze from time to time. The fivefold single flowers have a diameter of about 2 inches. The petals are are plump and tender.

The fruits are orange-yellow and are in strong sun exposure light red, overripe even purple. The flesh is yellow and juicy, the shell slightly waxy frosting. The fruit is a large stone core is formed. Fruit ripening falls in late summer from August to early September. In drought years may suspend the fruits the prairie plum, so that in extremely dry late summers representing the total harvest.

Ecology

The fruits are eaten by many animals, among other of prairie chickens. The complexities of plum bushes offers small birds good breeding grounds as well as in the otherwise often without cover prairie refuge numerous animals, such as white-tailed deer, wild turkeys and snakes.

Occurrence

The natural occurrence of this species extends across eastern and central North America, from the east coast to throughout the Great Plains region.

In the Midwest, it is next to the Virginian black cherry and various prairie cottonwoods often the only wood. In the dry grasslands of the prairie this plum often forms island-like groups in valleys, too, is moisture- loving and therefore often found on rivers. But even on dry hillsides and plateaus to the west, the American wild plum is also fragmented. However, it is missing in the Rocky Mountain region and on the West Coast. The northern limit of distribution is in Manitoba, south one finds it to Florida and Texas, as far west as Colorado and Montana. It prefers light, sandy soils.

Use

The prairie Mirabelle is eaten fresh from the Plains tribes and processed into compote and jam. For the Lakota, the thus-processed plums were called Kanta wójapi ( plum pudding ). Previously plums were dried as winter stock, often previously stoned.

The American plum has a food -giving wild fruit of some importance for ceremonies, though., To a lesser extent than the Virginia Cherry However, the nuclei of the prairie plum play a curious cultural role: the plum stones ( Kansu ) were in fact previously used as playing pieces for children's games, which is why even today in Lakota game cards, casino chips, tokens, tickets as well as driver's licenses and diplomas metonymically are called Kansu.

Due to the quality of the fruit this plum is now available for horticulture.

Evidence

• Melvin R. Gilmore: Uses of Plants by the Indians of the Missouri River Region. Lincoln / Nebraska, 2nd edition 1991, ISBN 0,803,270,348th
• James R. Johnson, Gary E. Larson: Grassland Plants of South Dakota and the Northern Great Plains. Brookings, S.D. 1999, ISBN 0913062065th
• Rebecca Netzel: Animal Nation and Plant Nation, A Field Guide for Lakota Children and for All Those adults who care about breastfeeding Creation. Trier 2007, ISBN 978-3-88476-945-4.
• Gregory L. Tilford: Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West. Missoula, Montana 1997, ISBN 0,878,423,591th
• Susan J. Wernert (Editor ): North American Wildlife, Pleasantville, NY 15th edition, 1991, ISBN 0-89577-102-0.

• Prunus ( Rosaceae )
• Stone fruit