Chickasaw Plum (Prunus angustifolia)
If you grew up in the Southeast quarter of the US (Kansas to Virginia and south), this is likely the species of plum your grandmother used to make the finest jelly. This is also our favorite plum to plant to create habitat and food for upland wildlife and pollinators. Chickasaw plums will grow just about anywhere you have good drainage and plenty of sun. Because of fire suppression (they love fire) and former fields turning into forests, you don’t see as many of these guys around anymore. They can still be found if you look hard enough around old house sites and along fence rows and roadways.
Their beautiful, white blooms are among the first to show their faces in the spring, making them an important nectar and pollen source for bees. The following crop of quarter sized, and yellow to orange-red fruits ripen in June and July, and are great for eating out of hand or preserving into all sorts of goodies.
The cover for wildlife they provide is second to none. Due to their “suckering” habit of spreading clonally by their roots, they quickly fill in to become an impenetrable hedge or clump of protection for species such as quail and rabbits, or nesting hen turkeys. This is the quail enthusiast’s species of choice for creating mosaics and connectivity across large fields and pastures. They also begin fruiting at a very young age (2-4)!!
| Zone: | 5 - 9 |
| Soil pH: | 4.5 - 7.5 |
| Wildlife Value: | Excellent |
| Site Preference: | Full Sun |
| Fruit maturity Date: | Summer |
| Fruit: | Fruit eaten by deer, bear, raccoon, squirrel and many birds. |
