Mexican plum tree

Categories: Fruits and Nuts Trees and shrubs

We’ve had dozens of people walk into the Payne County Extension Office this fall asking for help in identifying an unusual fruiting tree.  Turns out it’s not unusual at all, it’s just unusual for native Mexican plum Prunus mexicana to fruit in this part of Oklahoma.  The weather conditions must have been just right this spring because we have a bumper crop on many of these trees.

The fruit looks almost exactly like our sand plums.  It’s easy to tell the two apart with a few quick clues.  First is timing.  Mexican plums ripen in late summer and early fall-we are about 2-3 weeks past peak right now.  Sand plums Prunus angustifolia, ripen in early to mid-summer.  Mexican plums are small trees, commonly growing 15-20′ tall at maturity whereas sand plums are bushes.  Finally, the leaf shape is a lot different.  You can see the shape of the Mexican plum in the first picture while the sand plum has a narrower, almost strap-like leaf.

It is likely that you’ve admired these trees before, without knowing what it was.  These are one of the dominant white flowered under-story trees found in our wooded areas (unless your area has been taken over by run-away Bradford pear trees).  Look for them in the spring about the same time the redbuds are blooming.

The fruit is edible, although I’ve yet to find anyone who enjoys them straight off the tree.  They are best used in jellies and jams.