The Dawes Arboretum

Common name: wild-goose plum, hog plum, creek plum

Family: Rosaceae (rose family)

Synonym: Prunus rivularis

Distribution: s.-c. United States

IUCN Red list: Least concern

Regional red list: Ohio Threatened Species

Hardiness: USDA Zone 5

Life form: Deciduous tree

Comments: A deciduous small tree to large shrub growing 20' tall, sometimes forming thickets. Bark is thin, smooth, brown becoming gray and scaly on older trunks and branches. Twigs are slender, shiny red-brown. Leaves' edges are finely serrate, shiny green above, pale green and slightly hairy below. Flowers white in clusters of 2-4, usually blooming in early spring before leaves appear. Fruits round or elliptical drupes ½-1" in diameter, bright red, edible, maturing in late summer. Site in full sun in moist, well-drained soil.