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| Photo
by Renee Brecht |
Britton and Brown. See
credits below.** |
| Botanical name: |
Prunus
maritima Marsh. |
| Common
name: |
beach plum |
| Synonomy: |
|
| Group: |
dicot |
| Family: |
Rosaceae |
| Growth
Type: |
shrub |
| Duration: |
perennial |
| Origin: |
Native |
| Plant
height: |
to 6' tall |
| Foliage: |
alternate leaves; simple, deciduous,
2-3" long, serrated margin |
| Flower
color: |
white, 5 petals |
| Flower
size: |
.5" across |
| Flowering/fruiting time |
late April, May; fruits in
September, dull purple, edible drupe |
| Habitat: |
Sandy ground of dunes, beaches,
tidewater streamsides |
| Range
in
New Jersey: |
throughout the coast strip of the
Coastal Plain and up tidal streams into the Pine Barrens, north to
Middlesex and Somerset counties; old record from Camden County |
| Heritage ranking if any: |
n/a |
| Distribution: |
 |
| Misc.: |
Somewhat salt tolerant. Fruits
sometimes used to make beach plum jam, or in pies, or eaten fresh. The
seeds and leaves should not be eaten as they may contain hydrogen
cyanide.
The leaves render a green dye, and the fruit yields a dark gray to
green dye. With alum mordant, it will yield a yellow dye. |
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Sources
**USDA-NRCS
PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An
illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British
Possessions. Vol. 2: 325. |
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