View source for Plum

{{short description|Edible fruit}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}
{{cs1 config|name-list-style=vanc|display-authors=3}}
{{Other uses}}
{{hatnote|"Plumtree" redirects here. For the Canadian band, see [[Plumtree (band)]]. For other uses, see [[Plumtree (disambiguation)]].}}

{{pp-pc1|small=yes}}
[[File:Plums African Rose - whole, halved and slice.jpg|thumb|African Rose plums ([[Japan]]ese or [[China|Chinese]] plum)]]
A '''plum''' is a [[fruit]] of some species in [[Prunus subg. Prunus|''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'']]''.'' Dried plums are usually called [[prune]]s.<ref name="oxford">{{cite web|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/prune|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160925134919/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/prune|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 25, 2016|title=Prune|publisher=[[Oxford Living Dictionaries|Oxford Dictionaries]], [[Oxford University Press]]|date=2018|access-date=1 March 2018}}</ref>
[[File:Plum blossom on the first day of spring - geograph.org.uk - 1214413.jpg|thumb|Plum flowers]]
[[File:Šljiva Stanley - zeleni plodovi.2.jpg|thumb|180px|Plum unripe fruits]]

Plums are likely to have been one of the first fruits domesticated by humans, with origins in [[Eastern Europe]], the [[Caucasus Mountains]] and [[China]]. They were brought to [[Great Britain|Britain]] from Asia, and their cultivation has been documented in [[Andalusia]], southern [[Spain]]. Plums are a diverse group of species, with trees reaching a height of {{convert|5|-|6|m}} when pruned. The fruit is a [[drupe]], with a firm and juicy flesh.  Plums can be eaten fresh, dried to make prunes, used in [[Fruit preserves|jams]], or fermented into [[fruit wine|wine]] and distilled into [[fruit brandy|brandy]]. Plum seeds (also called kernels) contain the [[cyanide]]-like poison, [[amygdalin]], a [[Glycosides#Cyanogenic glycosides|cyanogenic glycoside]].

In 2023, China produced 55% of the world total of plums. Japanese or Chinese plums dominate the fresh fruit market, while European plums are also common in some regions.

==History==

Plums are likely to have been one of the first fruits domesticated by humans.<ref>{{cite book|title=Horticultural Reviews (Volume 23)|editor=Jules Janick|year=1998|isbn=978-0471254454|publisher=Wiley}}</ref> Three of the most abundantly cultivated species are not found in the wild, only around human settlements: ''[[Prunus domestica]]'' has been traced to East European and Caucasian mountains, while ''[[Prunus salicina]]'' and ''[[Prunus simonii]]'' originated in China. Plum remains have been found in [[Neolithic]] age archaeological sites along with olives, grapes and figs.<ref>{{cite web|title=The origins of fruits, fruit growing and fruit breeding|author=Jules Janick|publisher=Purdue University|year=2005|url=http://www.hort.purdue.edu/NEWCROP/pdfs/origins-fruit-growing-breeding.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521204917/http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/pdfs/origins-fruit-growing-breeding.pdf|archive-date=2013-05-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Chemical analyses of organic residues in archaeological pottery from Arbon Bleiche|author=Spangenberg|journal=Journal of Archaeological Science|volume=33|issue=1|date= January 2006|pages=1–13|doi=10.1016/j.jas.2005.05.013|display-authors=etal}}</ref> According to [[Ken Albala]], plums originated in [[Iran]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Albala|first=Ken|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NTo6c_PJWRgC&q=lavash+originated+iran&pg=PA240|title=Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia|date=2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-37626-9|language=en|page=240}}</ref> They were brought to Britain from Asia{{Dubious|date=September 2025}}.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Lyle|first=Katie Letcher|title=The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants, Mushrooms, Fruits, and Nuts: How to Find, Identify, and Cook Them|publisher=[[FalconGuides]]|year=2010|isbn=978-1-59921-887-8|edition=2nd|location=Guilford, CN|pages=107|oclc=560560606|orig-year=2004}}</ref>

An article on plum tree cultivation in [[Andalusia]] (southern Spain) appears in [[Ibn al-'Awwam]]'s 12th-century agricultural work, ''Book on Agriculture''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ibn al-'Awwam|first=Yaḥyá|author-link=Ibn al-'Awwam|title=Le livre de l'agriculture d'Ibn-al-Awam (kitab-al-felahah) |year=1864|location=Paris|publisher=A. Franck|translator=J.-J. Clement-Mullet |pages=319–321 (ch. 7 - Article 42)|url=https://archive.org/details/lelivredelagric00algoog/page/n14/mode/2up |language=fr|oclc=780050566}} (pp. [https://archive.org/details/lelivredelagric00algoog/page/n427/mode/1up 319]–321 (Article XLII)</ref>

Plum cultivation is recorded in medieval monasteries in England. A garden with 'ploumes' and 'bulaces' is referred to by [[Geoffrey Chaucer|Chaucer]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Davidson |first=Alan |title=The Oxford companion to food |date=2014 |publisher=Oxford Univ. Press |isbn=978-0-19-967733-7 |editor-last=Jaine |editor-first=Tom |edition=3. ed. / ed. by Tom Jaine |location=Oxford}}</ref>

The cultivation of plums increased during the 17th and 18th centuries. During this period [[Greengage|greengages]] were given their English name and the [[Mirabelle plum]] became firmly established.<ref name=":1" /> Advances in the development of new varieties in England were made by [[Thomas Rivers (nurseryman)|Thomas Rivers]]. Two examples of River's work are the varieties Early Rivers and Czar. Both are still esteemed. The fame of the [[Victoria plum]], first sold in 1844, has been put down to good marketing rather than any inherent quality.<ref name=":1" />

==Etymology and names==
The name plum comes from [[Old English]] {{lang|ang|plūme}} "plum, plum tree", an evolution of {{lang|gmw|plūmā}}, which was a common [[West Germanic]] loanword from [[Latin]] {{lang|la|prūnum}},<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Ringe|first1=Donald|authorlink=Donald Ringe|last2=Taylor|first2=Ann|title=The Development of Old English|series=A Linguistic History of English|volume=2|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2014|page=135|section=PWGmc *plūmā|isbn=9780199207848}}</ref><ref>{{L&S|prunum|prūnum|ref}}</ref> which borrowed it from [[Ancient Greek]] {{lang|grc|προῦμνον}} : {{grc-tr|προῦμνον}},<ref>{{LSJ|prou{{=}}mnon|προῦμνον|ref}}.</ref> itself believed to be a [[loanword]] from an unknown language of [[Asia Minor]].<ref name=oxford/><ref name="eol">{{OEtymD|plum}}</ref> In the late 18th century, the word ''plum'' was used to indicate "something sweet or agreeable", probably in reference to tasty fruit pieces in [[dessert]]s, as in the word ''[[sugar plum]]''.<ref name=eol/>

==Description==
Plums are a diverse group of species. The commercially important plum trees are medium-sized, usually pruned to {{convert|5|–|6|m}} height. The tree is of medium hardiness.<ref>{{cite web|title=Plum, prune, European type|publisher=Purdue University|year=1999|url=http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/Crops/Plum_prune.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120412183755/http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/Crops/Plum_prune.html|archive-date=2012-04-12}}</ref> Without pruning, the trees can reach {{convert|12|m|ft}} in height and spread across {{convert|10|m|ft}}. They blossom in different months in different parts of the world; for example, in about January in Taiwan and early April in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Prunus+domestica|title=Prunus domestica Plum, European plum PFAF Plant Database|work=pfaf.org|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121122110734/http://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Prunus+domestica|archive-date=2012-11-22}}</ref>

Fruits are usually of medium size, between {{convert|2|-|7|cm}} in diameter, globose to oval. The flesh is firm and juicy. The fruit's peel is smooth, with a natural waxy surface that adheres to the flesh. The plum is a [[drupe]], meaning its fleshy fruit surrounds a single hard [[Pyrena|fruitstone]] which encloses the fruit's seed.

==Cultivation and uses==
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Different plum cultivars">
File:16-09-17-WikiLovesCocktails-Zutaten-Img0163.jpg|Japanese or Chinese plum
File:Damson plum fruit.jpg|Damsons (European plum)
File:Slivka.JPG|Prune plums (European plum)
File:Prunus domestica 'Reine Victoria'.jpg|Victoria plums (European plum)
File:Greengages 0.jpg|Greengages (European plum)
File:Mirabellen.jpg|Mirabelles (European plum)
File:Cherry plums.jpg|Myrobalan or cherry plums
</gallery>

Japanese or Chinese plums are large and juicy with a long shelf life and therefore dominate the fresh fruit market. They are usually clingstone and not suitable for making prunes.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Plums|url=https://magazine.wsu.edu/2017/08/07/plums/|access-date=2021-02-20|website=Washington State Magazine|language=en-US|last1=Clark|first1=Larry}}</ref> They are cultivars of ''[[Prunus salicina]]'' or its hybrids. The cultivars developed in the US are mostly hybrids of [[Prunus salicina|''P. salicina'']] with [[Prunus simonii|''P. simonii'']] and [[Prunus cerasifera|''P. cerasifera'']]. Although these cultivars are often called Japanese plums, two of the three parents (''P. salicina'' and ''P. simonii'') originated from China and one (''P. cerasifera'') from Eurasia.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Boonprakob|first1=U.|last2=Byrne|first2=D.H.|date=2003|title=Species composition of Japanese plum founding clones as revealed by RAPD markers|url=https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2003.622.51|journal=Acta Horticulturae|issue=622|pages=473–476|doi=10.17660/actahortic.2003.622.51|issn=0567-7572|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
[[File:Prune.JPG|thumb|175px|Prune, a dried plum]]
In some parts of Europe, European plum (''[[Prunus domestica]]'') is also common in fresh fruit market. It has both dessert (eating) or culinary (cooking) [[cultivar]]s, which include:
* [[Damson]] (purple or black skin, green flesh, clingstone, astringent)
* [[Prune plum]] (usually oval, freestone, sweet, fresh eaten or used to make prunes)
* [[Greengage]] (firm, green flesh and skin even when ripe)
* [[Mirabelle Plum|Mirabelle]] (dark yellow, predominantly grown in northeast [[France]])
* [[Victoria plum|Victoria]] (yellow flesh with a red or mottled skin)
* [[Yellowgage (plum)|Yellowgage]] or golden plum (similar to greengage, but yellow)

In West Asia, myrobalan plum or cherry plum (''[[Prunus cerasifera]]'') is also widely cultivated. In Russia, apart from these three commonly cultivated species, there are also many cultivars resulting from hybridization between Japanese plum and myrobalan plum, known as Russian plum ([[Prunus × rossica|''Prunus'' × ''rossica'']]).<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Eremin|first=G.V.|date=2006|title=''Prunus rossica'' (Rosaceae), a new hybridogenous species|url=https://www.elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=9274159|journal=Botanicheskii Zhurnal|volume=91|issue=9|pages=1405–1410}}</ref>

When it flowers in the early spring, a plum tree will be covered in [[blossom]]s, and in a good year approximately 50% of the flowers will be pollinated and become plums. Flowering starts after 80 [[growing degree day]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title= Phenology of flowers|vauthors=Perkins A|date=2004 |publisher=Ecologists Educators and Schools |url=http://www.bioed.org/ECOS/inquiries/inquiries/PhenologyofFlowers.pdf |access-date=2024-02-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303212003/http://www.bioed.org/ECOS/inquiries/inquiries/PhenologyofFlowers.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-03 }}</ref>

If the weather is too dry, the plums will not develop past a certain stage, but will fall from the tree while still tiny, green buds, and if it is unseasonably wet or if the plums are not harvested as soon as they are ripe, the fruit may develop a fungal condition called [[Monilinia fructicola|brown rot]]. Brown rot is not toxic, and some affected areas can be cut out of the fruit, but unless the rot is caught immediately, the fruit will no longer be edible. Plum is used as a food plant by the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]], including [[November moth]], [[willow beauty]] and [[short-cloaked moth]].<ref>Skinner (1984), Chinery (2007), and see references in Savela (2002)</ref>

The taste of the plum fruit ranges from sweet to tart; the skin itself may be particularly tart.  It is juicy and can be eaten fresh or used in [[jam]]-making or other recipes. Plum juice can be fermented into [[plum wine]]. In central England, a cider-like alcoholic beverage known as [[plum jerkum]] is made from plums. Dried, salted plums are used as a snack, sometimes known as ''[[saladitos|saladito]]'' or ''salao''. 

{{Table alignment}}

{| class="wikitable floatright col2right" 
|+ Plum production <br>{{small|2023, tonnes}}<br/>
|-
|{{CHN}} ||6,888,895
|-
|{{ROM}} ||645,090
|-
|{{CHL}} ||433,934
|-
|{{SRB}} ||362,713
|-
|{{TUR}} ||355,132
|-
|{{IRN}} ||354,789
|-
|'''World'''||'''12,489,827'''
|-
|colspan=2|{{small|Source: [[FAOSTAT]]<br> of the [[United Nations]]}}<ref name="faostat">{{cite web|url=https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL|title=Production of plums (and sloes) in 2023, Crops/Regions/World list/Production Quantity/Year (pick lists)|date=2025|publisher=UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Corporate Statistical Database (FAOSTAT)|access-date=12 July 2025}}</ref>
|}
Various flavors of dried plum are available at Chinese grocers and specialty stores worldwide. They tend to be much drier than the standard prune. Cream, [[ginseng]], spicy, and salty are among the common varieties. [[Licorice]] is generally used to intensify the flavor of these plums and is used to make salty plum drinks and toppings for [[slush (beverage)|shaved ice]] or ''[[Chhoah-peng|baobing]]''. Pickled plums are another type of preserve available in Asia and international specialty stores. The Japanese variety, called ''[[umeboshi]]'', is often used for rice balls, called ''onigiri'' or ''omusubi''.  The ''[[ume]]'', from which ''umeboshi'' are made, is more closely related, however, to the [[apricot]] than to the plum.

In the [[Balkans]], plum is converted into an alcoholic drink named ''[[slivovitz]]'' (plum brandy, called in Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin or Serbian ''[[šljivovica]]'').<ref>{{cite journal|title=Aroma Constituents of Plum Brandy|author=Crowell and Guymon|journal=[[American Journal of Enology and Viticulture|American Journal of Enology]]|year= 1973|volume= 24|number=4|pages=159–165}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=The neutral volatile components of Czechoslovak plum brandy|author1=Jan Velíšek |author2=František Pudil |author3=Jiří Davídek |author4=Vladislav Kubelka |journal=Zeitschrift für Lebensmittel-Untersuchung und -Forschung A|volume= 174|number= 6|year=1982|pages= 463–466|doi= 10.1007/BF01042726|s2cid=88247885 }}</ref> A large number of plums, of the Damson variety, are also grown in Hungary, where they are called ''szilva'' and are used to make ''[[lekvar]]'' (a plum paste jam), ''[[palinka]]'' (traditional fruit brandy), plum dumplings, and other foods. In Romania, 80% of the plum production is used to create a similar brandy, called ''[[țuică]]''.<ref name="prod">{{cite web |url=https://observator.tv/social/romanii-cei-mai-mari-producatori-de-prune-din-europa-insa-recolta-nu-ajunge-in-borcanele-cu-magiun-ci-in-cazanele-de-tuica-233725.html |url-status=dead |title=România e cel mai mare producător de prune din UE. Cele mai multe fructe folosesc la ţuică și palincă |lang=ro |trans-title=Romania is the largest producer of plums in the EU. Most of the fruit is used for ţuică and palincă |website=observator.tv |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426155306/https://observator.tv/social/romanii-cei-mai-mari-producatori-de-prune-din-europa-insa-recolta-nu-ajunge-in-borcanele-cu-magiun-ci-in-cazanele-de-tuica-233725.html |archive-date=26 April 2019 }}</ref>

As with many other members of the [[Rosaceae|rose family]], plum kernels contain cyanogenic glycosides, including [[amygdalin]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Burrows, G.E. |author2=Tyrl, R.J. |date=2012 |title= Toxic Plants of North America |chapter= Rosaceae Juss. |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell  |pages= 1064–1094}}</ref> Prune kernel oil is made from the fleshy inner part of the pit of the plum. Though not available commercially, the wood of plum trees is used by hobbyists and other private woodworkers for musical instruments, knife handles, inlays, and similar small projects.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/plum/|title=Plum|work=The Wood Database|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025221826/http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/plum/|archive-date=2014-10-25}}</ref>

==Production==
In 2023, world production of plums (data combined with [[sloe]]s) was 12.5 million [[tonne]]s, led by China with 55% of the total, and [[Romania]] and [[Chile]] as the next largest producers (table).

{{nutritional value | name=Plums, raw
| kJ=192
| water=87 g
| protein=0.7 g
| fat=0.28 g
| carbs=11.42 g
| fiber=1.4 g
| sugars=9.92 g
| calcium_mg=6
| iron_mg=0.17
| magnesium_mg=7
| phosphorus_mg=16
| potassium_mg=157
| sodium_mg=0
| zinc_mg=0.1
| manganese_mg=0.052
| vitC_mg=9.5
| thiamin_mg=0.028
| riboflavin_mg=0.026
| niacin_mg=0.417
| pantothenic_mg=0.135
| vitB6_mg=0.029
| folate_ug=5
| vitA_ug=17
| betacarotene_ug=190
| lutein_ug=73
| vitE_mg=0.26
| vitK_ug=6.4
| note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/169949/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry]
}}

==Nutrition==

Raw plums are 87% water, 11% [[carbohydrates]], 1% [[protein (nutrient)|protein]], and less than 1% [[fat]] (table). In a reference amount of {{convert|100|g}}, raw plums supply 46 [[calorie]]s of [[food energy]], and are a moderate source only of [[vitamin C]] (11% of the [[Daily Value]]), with no other [[micronutrient]]s in significant content (table).

==Species==
{{main|Prunus subg. Prunus}}
The numerous species of [[Prunus subg. Prunus|''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'']] are classified into many sections, but not all of them are called plums. Plums include species of sect. ''Prunus'' and sect. ''Prunocerasus'',<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Shi|first1=Shuo|last2=Li|first2=Jinlu|last3=Sun|first3=Jiahui|last4=Yu|first4=Jing|last5=Zhou|first5=Shiliang|date=2013|title=Phylogeny and classification of ''Prunus sensu lato'' (Rosaceae)|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jipb.12095|journal=Journal of Integrative Plant Biology|language=en|volume=55|issue=11|pages=1069–1079|doi=10.1111/jipb.12095|pmid=23945216|bibcode=2013JIPB...55.1069S |issn=1744-7909|via=|url-access=subscription}}</ref> as well as ''[[Prunus mume|P. mume]]'' of sect. ''Armeniaca''. Only two plum species, the hexaploid European plum (''[[Prunus domestica]]'') and the diploid Japanese plum (''[[Prunus salicina]]'' and hybrids), are of worldwide commercial significance. The origin of ''P. domestica'' is uncertain but may have involved ''P. cerasifera'' and possibly ''P. spinosa'' as ancestors. Other species of plum variously originated in Europe, Asia and America.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Bruce L. Topp|title=Plum (Handbook of Plant Breeding)|author2=Dougal M. Russell|author3=Michael Neumüller|author4=Marco A. Dalbó|author5=Weisheng Liu|chapter=Plum |year=2012|volume=8, part 3|pages=571–621|publisher=Springer |doi=10.1007/978-1-4419-0763-9_15|isbn=9781441907639 }}</ref>
{{clear}}
[[Prunus sect. Prunus|Sect. '''''Prunus''''']] ([[Old World]] plums) – leaves in bud rolled inwards; flowers 1–3 together; fruit smooth, often wax-bloomed
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Image !! Scientific name !! Common name !! Distribution !! Cytology
|-
|[[File:Prunus brigantina img-000182269O.jpg|120px]] || ''[[Prunus brigantina|P. brigantina]]''<ref name=":0" /> || Briançon plum, Briançon apricot, marmot plum ||Europe ||
|-
|[[File:Rote Kirschpflaumen 01.jpg|120px]] || ''[[Prunus cerasifera|P. cerasifera]]'' || cherry plum, myrobalan plum||Southeast Europe and Western Asia || 2n=16,(24)
|-
| || ''[[Prunus cocomilia|P. cocomilia]]'' || Italian plum||Albania, Croatia, Greece, southern Italy (including Sicily), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and western Turkey||
|-
|[[File:Emma Leppermann 1.jpg|120px]] || ''[[Prunus domestica|P. domestica]]'' (species of most "plums" and "[[prune]]s") || ||Europe||	2n=16, 48
|-
|[[File:Damson plum fruit.jpg|120px]] || ''[[Damson|P. domestica ssp. insititia]]'' || [[damson]]s, [[bullace]]s|| Asia ||
|-
|[[File:3 blood plums on tree.jpg|120px]] || ''[[Prunus salicina|P. salicina]]'' || Chinese plum||China||2n=16,(24)
|-
|[[File:Prunus simonii.png|alt=Picture of Prunus simonii|120px]]|| ''[[Prunus simonii|P. simonii]]'' (widely cultivated in North China)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200011161|title=Prunus simonii in Flora of China @ efloras.org|publisher=efloras.org|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103212455/http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200011161|archive-date=2013-11-03}}</ref>|| ||China||2n=16
|-
|[[File:Closeup of blackthorn aka sloe aka prunus spinosa sweden 20050924.jpg|120px]] || ''[[Prunus spinosa|P. spinosa]]'' || blackthorn or sloe||Europe, western Asia, and locally in northwest Africa||2n=4x=32
|-
|[[File:Prunus Vachuschtii (Fruit).jpg|120px|]] || ''[[Prunus vachuschtii|P. vachuschtii]]'' || Alucha||Caucasus||
|}

[[Prunus sect. Prunocerasus|Sect. '''''Prunocerasus''''']] ([[New World]] plums) – leaves in bud folded inwards; flowers 3–5 together; fruit smooth, often wax-bloomed
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Image !! Scientific name !! Common name!! Distribution !! Cytology
|-
| || ''[[Prunus alleghaniensis|P. alleghaniensis]]'' ||Allegheny plum ||the Appalachian Mountains from New York to Kentucky and North Carolina, plus the Lower Peninsula of Michigan || 
|-
|[[File:Prunus americana (16236067093a).jpg|120px]] || ''[[Prunus americana|P. americana]]'' ||American plum || North America from Saskatchewan and Idaho south to New Mexico and east to Québec, Maine and Florida || 
|-
|[[File:Ripening Chickasaw Plum.JPG|120px]] || ''[[Prunus angustifolia|P. angustifolia]]'' ||Chickasaw plum ||Florida west as far as New Mexico and California || 
|-
| || ''[[Prunus gracilis|P. gracilis]]'' || Oklahoma plum|| Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas || 
|-
|[[File:Prunus armeniaca E1.jpg|120px]] || ''[[Prunus hortulana|P. hortulana]]'' ||Hortulan plum || Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia || 
|-
|[[File:Prunus maritima.jpg|120px]] ||''[[Prunus maritima|P. maritima]]'' ||Beach plum || East Coast of the United States, from Maine south to Maryland || 
|-
|[[File:Prunus mexicana-fruits-leaves.jpg|120px]] || ''[[Prunus mexicana|P. mexicana]]'' ||Mexican plum ||central United States and Northern Mexico || 
|-
||| ''[[Prunus murrayana|P. murrayana]]'' ||Murray's plum ||Texas || 
|-
|[[File:Prunus nigra 5444371.jpg|120px]] ||''[[Prunus nigra|P. nigra]]'' ||Canada plum, Black plum || eastern North America from Nova Scotia west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south as far as Connecticut, Illinois, and Iowa|| 
|-
| || ''[[Prunus × orthosepala|P. × orthosepala]]'' (''P. americana'' × ''P. angustifolia'') || || southern and central United States || 
|-
|[[File:Prunus armeniaca E1.jpg|120px]] ||  ''[[Prunus reverchonii|P. reverchonii]]'' ||Thicket plum || || 
|-
|[[File:Creek plum22.png|120px]] || ''[[Prunus rivularis|P. rivularis]]'' ||River plum, Creek plum,Wildgoose plum  || California, Arkansas, southern Illinois, south-eastern Kansas, Kentucky, northern Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, south-western Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas || 
|-
|[[File:Prunus subcordata 2.jpg|120px]] || ''[[Prunus subcordata|P. subcordata]]'' ||Klamath, Oregon, or Sierra plum ||California and western and southern Oregon || 
|-
||| ''[[Prunus texana|P. texana]]'' ||Texas plum, Sand plum, Peachbush plum ||central and western Texas || 
|-
|[[File:Prunus umbellata UGA1120568.jpg|120px]] || ''[[Prunus umbellata|P. umbellata]]'' ||Hog plum, Flatwoods plum, Sloe plum || United States from Virginia, south to Florida, and west to Texas || 
|-
|}

Sect. '''''Armeniaca''''' ([[apricot]]s) – leaves in bud rolled inwards; flowers very short-stalked; fruit velvety; treated as a distinct subgenus by some authors
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Image !! Scientific name !! Common name!! Distribution !! Cytology
|-
|[[File:Prunus mume fruits.jpg|120px]] || ''[[Prunus mume|P. mume]]'' || Chinese plum, Japanese apricot||Western Asia || 
|-
|}

In certain parts of the world, some fruits are called plums and are quite different from fruits known as plums in Europe or the Americas. For example, [[Bouea macrophylla|marian plums]] are popular in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, otherwise also known as ''gandaria'', ''plum mango'', ''ma-praang'', ''ma-yong'', ''ramania'', ''kundang'', ''rembunia'' or ''setar''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Under-Utilized Tropical Fruits of Thailand (see Part 1, section 3)|publisher=FAO, United Nations|year=2001|url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/ab777e/ab777e00.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715213406/http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/ab777e/ab777e00.htm|archive-date=2011-07-15}}</ref> Another example is the [[loquat]], also known as Japanese plum and Japanese medlar, as well as ''nispero'', ''bibassier'' and ''wollmispel'' elsewhere.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nassau.ifas.ufl.edu/horticulture/fruit/loquat.html|title=Japanese Plum - Loquat|publisher=University of Florida, Nassau County Extension, Horticulture|year=2006 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080723230636/http://nassau.ifas.ufl.edu/horticulture/fruit/loquat.html | archive-date=23 July 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Loquat|publisher=University of Purdue|author=J. Morton|year=1987|url=http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/loquat.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130624134930/http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/loquat.html|archive-date=2013-06-24}}</ref> In South Asia and Southeast Asia, [[Jambul]], a fruit from tropical tree in family [[Myrtaceae]], is similarly sometimes referred to 'damson plums', and it is different from damson plums found in Europe and Americas.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jambolan|publisher=Purdue University|year=2006|url=http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/jambolan.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910032549/http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/jambolan.html|archive-date=2012-09-10}}</ref> Jambul is also called as ''Java plum'', ''Malabar plum'', ''Jaman'', ''Jamun'', ''Jamblang'', ''Jiwat'', ''Salam'', ''Duhat'', ''Koeli'', ''Jambuláo'' or ''Koriang''.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Closeup of blackthorn aka sloe aka prunus spinosa sweden 20050924.jpg|Sloe or blackthorn, ''Prunus spinosa''
File:970718-DriedGoldenPlum-IMG 7527-2.jpg|Dried yellow plums
File:Black Amber Plum DS.jpg|Black Amber Plum (Japanese or Chinese plum)
File:Šljiva Stanley - zreli plodovi (2022).JPG|Stanley plum variety
</gallery>

==See also==

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Prunus cerasifera|Cherry plum]]
* [[Fruit tree]]
* [[Fruit tree forms]]
* [[Fruit tree propagation]]
* [[Fruit tree pruning]]
* [[List of plum cultivars]]
* [[List of plum dishes]]
* [[Pluot]]
* [[Sugar plum]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary pipe|plum#English|plum}}
* {{Commons category-inline|Plums}}
* {{Cookbook-inline|Plum}}

[[Category:Plums| Plum]]
[[Category:Prunus|Plum]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants]]
[[Category:Laxatives]]
[[Category:Drupes]]