Identifying Characteristics
| Size/Form: | Flatwoods plum is a small tree that is generally less than 20' in height. Its crown is usually spreading and form is often crooked. It does not occur in thickets as a large shrub. |
| Leaves: | The leaves are simple, alternately arranged, deciduous, and 2" to 2¾" long by 1" to 1½" wide. The small oblong-lance shaped leaves usually have smooth, dark green upper surfaces and paler, smooth to hairy under surfaces. The leaf base is rounded to slightly heart-shaped and the leaf tip is pointed. The margin is finely serrated. |
| Fruit: | The purplish-black or dark red fruit is a round drupe that is ½" in diameter and has a waxy-like skin. |
| Bark: | The bark is thin, smooth, red brown to black in color, often becoming rough with age. |
| Habitat: | Flatwoods plum grows in mixed pine-hardwood forests, hammocks, coastal scrub, and swamps near streams and rivers. |