2 Plums for identification please

[fbcpmike]

Found these two last night, any ideas anyone ?

Unidentified plum - Wild About Britain Pics
Growing on a small bush about 6ft high, dark green glossy leaves with a thin red serrated edge about 50mm long, 30mm wide. The fruit is dark red, glossy, no bloom, about 25-30mm in size, not as big as a Damson.

Unidentified plum - Wild About Britain Pics
Growing on a large tree, 8m tall 6-8m spread, light green leaves 40-50mm long. Fruit ranges form orange to bright red and are about 25-30mm. Tree is heavily laden with fruit, growing on a clay bank.

[burhinus]

Hi

Your measurements might be a bit big but I wondered about Cherry Plums. Mine are yellow and a tad smaller. They are edible with the yellow being a bit tastier than the reds which can be a bit tart.

If they are Cherry Plums they are regarded as one of the most overlooked free foods in Britain and usually end up as mush on the ground. Often found in urban areas. They are the earliest tree to flower in the UK, before Blackthorn!

burhinus

[Dorts]

I agree Cherry Plum - Prunus cerasifera. Fruits may vary in both size and colour. Rarely found growing wild, nearly always planted.
Dorts.

[fbcpmike]

Many thanks for the identification.

Both are growing wild, the first one (under trees) is on a bush less than 2 years old as we cleared the area just on 2 years ago. The second is in the open on a steep bank but is in the order of 20 years old, again I think its a wild tree as the bank area would not have been planted as its heavy clay.

Estimates of the tree sizes are just estimated but the leaf and plum sizes are correct.

I presume the name Prunus cerasifera covers both trees ?, with them probably being from fruit dropped by birds from local gardens. A quick google says that they like the clay soil so would seem to be ideally suited.

[nightshade]

We have some growing on the edge of a small industrial estate on the edge of a drainage ditch, half the tree has perfect plums but the ones the ditch side are all sorts of odd shapes. the other side of the road on the railway side are a larger version but very similar to look at.

[John]

I have just noticed this thread and it has answered a question I have wondered about for ages.

I have one of these trees with the Red fruit twenty feet from my Bungalow. It is growing by the side of one of my neighbours gardens. Also near where I work in Leamington Spa we have quite a few of these trees with the yellow fruit growing by the side of the road and even more along my route back to my home in Coventry.

At this time of the year all you see are masses of this fruit piling up on the floor and because of this I thought the fruit must be poisonous as it wasn't being picked by anyone.

How nice are they to eat as I might try them next year.

John

[fbcpmike]

Originally Posted by John

At this time of the year all you see are masses of this fruit piling up on the floor and because of this I thought the fruit must be poisonous as it wasn't being picked by anyone.

How nice are they to eat as I might try them next year.John

They are both very nice, our granddaughter loves them. The Red ones are rather like Damsons but a little sweeter when ripe, and the Yellow/Green (ripening to orange) are like Victorias, with a softer taste.

Originally Posted by John

At this time of the year all you see are masses of this fruit piling up on the floor and because of this I thought the fruit must be poisonous as it wasn't being picked by anyone.

We see that with various fruit in our park, so now we pick it, make jam and raise funds for the upkeep of the park. I think it's either people don't know whats there or can't be bothered to collect and use it.

The Red plums ripen and go over very quickly, the Yellow/Green seem to take a little longer to ripen and stay on the tree a bit later (A bit like Bullace ripening in September against Damson in June/July). Ours are ripe now so I'm going to see if I can get some this weekend. I picked a few last week, once picked they loose mass quite quickly becoming smaller but sweeter.

[John]

Thanks for the info Mike

They all appear to have dropped their fruit now so it will be next year now before I get a chance to try them.

John

Originally Posted by fbcpmike

They are both very nice, our granddaughter loves them. The Red ones are rather like Damsons but a little sweeter when ripe, and the Yellow/Green (ripening to orange) are like Victorias, with a softer taste.



We see that with various fruit in our park, so now we pick it, make jam and raise funds for the upkeep of the park. I think it's either people don't know whats there or can't be bothered to collect and use it.

The Red plums ripen and go over very quickly, the Yellow/Green seem to take a little longer to ripen and stay on the tree a bit later (A bit like Bullace ripening in September against Damson in June/July). Ours are ripe now so I'm going to see if I can get some this weekend. I picked a few last week, once picked they loose mass quite quickly becoming smaller but sweeter.