Flatwoods Plum

Prunus umbellata
Family: Rosaceae

Natural History

Flatwoods plum, also called hog plum, is a small understory tree found in river, swamps, hardwood hammocks, and pine flatwoods. It ranges from southern North Carolina to central Florida and west to central Texas, northward in the Mississippi Valley to southern Arkansas.

Flatwoods plum is a valuable food source to whitetail deer, black bears, foxes, raccoons, squirrels, and many birds. These animals help disperse the tree's seeds.

The purple fruits are tart and rich in pectin. They are used to make jellies, preserves, tart pies, or jams.

The hard, heavy, and close-grained wood is not valued commercially because the dark reddish-brown wood comes from an often small, crooked tree.

In 1974, a national champion flatwoods plum was discovered in Colclough Pond Wildlife Sanctuary, Florida. It had a 39" circumference, reached a height of 33', and had 28' spread.