What is Indian plum?
Indian plum is a flowering shrub in the family of Rosacea, which thrives along the Pacific coast of the United States and British Columbia. One of the first flowers in the spring, the Indian plum will also be the proper fertilization of the fruit. Indian plum shrubs, known as passenger, Oregon Plum or Skunkbush, can be trained to grow on trees.
found exclusively on the Pacific coast of North America, Indian varieties of plums appear north like British Columbia and south through Washington, Oregon and Northern California. It prefers a slight climate and open spaces near roads, forests or streams. Indian plum needs moist, fertile soil and grows best when planted in full sun or partial shadow. Although it can do dry climate in the summer, Indian Plum needs winter rain to survive.
These deciduous plants can reach 6-20 feet (2-6 m) and grow up to 12 feet (4 m) wide. Their leaves are grayish green and fuzzy and are supplemented with green greenflowers that bloom at the end of winter or early in the spring. As one of the first plants to bloom every year, the Indian plum is popular with bees and insects looking for nectar. The sword-shaped leaves are approximately 2-5 inches (5-13 cm) long and are said to release a strong cucumber scent when crushing. The shoots can be planted and should be thrive separately if they are placed in rich soil and are correctly built.
Indian plum shrubs will be fruit if planted near the bushes. Their oval berries are small and measures up to 1/2 inches (1.3 cm) long and first appear in orange or yellow shades on the red stem. Mature berries are bluish black and are popular birds. Like other fruits, the Indian plum berries have hard outer skin and a juicy inner layer surrounding the seed. These seeds can be collected and cultivated into new shrubs.
Native Americans made us of almost the whole Indian plum plant. In addition to food, the American Indians prepared tea with bark and drank it to cleanse the body and treat various diseases. The twigs of Indian plums were assumed that they contain anesthetic forces and chewed before applying for injury. Some native Americans also believed that Indian twigs of plums functioned as an aphrodisiac, although there is no evidence to support this claim.