Prunus gracilis, called the Oklahoma plum, sour plum, and sand plum, is a species of Prunus native to the south-central United States.
Description Prunus gracilis grows up to tall and has five-petaled leaves. Its fruits ripen from June to August. It is hermaphroditic and pollinated by insects.
Taxonomy The specific epithet gracilis refers to 'slender branches'.
Distribution and habitat The species is natively found in various states of the United States, including Alabama, southwestern Arkansas, southeastern Colorado, Kansas, northwestern Louisiana, eastern New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
It forms clusters and thickets in fence rows, open woodlands, woodlands edge, forest openings, hillsides, slopes, sandy roadsides, and waste places. It is normally found at above sea level.
Uses Its red fruits are considered poor for eating, but Native Americans dried them for consumption during winter.
References
External links
Photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in Republic of Texas in 1844