American Nurseryman -Jan 2012

Prunus angustifolia Chickasaw plum also known as sand plum or sandhill plum is a native shrub or low tree It has a wide geographic area of distribution ranging from Maryland to Florida and westward to Kansas Oklahoma and Texas It is found most commonly on sandy soils in pastures or open woods along fence rows and other disturbed sites It frequently colonizes disturbed prairie sites and edges Prunus angustifolia was first cultivated about 1874 and long used by Native Americans and early settlers horticulturists since have made numerous selections based on fruit characteristics The first selection of Chickasaw plum was Caddo Chief found in the wild in Caddo Parish La and introduced by G W Stoner Shreveport La Chisholm Germplasm a selected class plant material was released in 2010 by the U S Department of Agricultures USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service for conservation use in Kansas Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle It can be used to enhance wildlife habitat for species of concern such as lesser prairie chicken painted bunting and Bells vireo used as a shrub row in multi row windbreaks and critical area treatment plantings to control soil erosion Chisholm Germplasm Chickasaw plum is a short thickly branched shrub less than 10 feet tall often forming extensive thickets or colonies due to extensive suckering Leaves are lanceolate to oblong lanceolate up to 2 inches long and three quarters of an inch wide slender lustrous and glabrous above Its numerous zigzag twigs are smooth reddish brown and slender Younger branches have smooth reddish brown bark with large horizontal lenticels Older trees have rough scaly trunk bark There are short side twigs that bear flowers and end in sharp points The numerous off white or yellowish white flowers with little fragrance appear before the leaves and are less than one half inch across The blooms are attractive to honey bees and other pollinator species Open pollinated Chisholm blooms early in March to April The fruits are small thin skinned red orange red or yellow not glaucous but with a slight bloom Some trees bear edible fruits others have very bitter fruits To propagate seed should receive 60 to 120 days of moist cold treatment prior to spring sowing Stratify in a sand peat mixture with seeds thoroughly mixed with one to three times the volume of stratification medium between 36 and 41 F Stratified seed should be monitored Sow as early as possible in the spring It is best if a high proportion of the seed has cracked stones but the seeds should not have begun radical elongation as elongated radicals can be damaged in planting A pretreatment is not needed for fall sowing Plant 15 to 20 seeds per square foot 1 inch deep Seedlings can be outplanted as 1 0 stock Space plants 3 to 6 feet apart in windbreaks Protect from deer and rabbits while young Though not heavily browsed by deer young trees are often rubbed by the males in the fall Management depends on objectives of the planting Weed control may be needed until seedlings are established Tilling between the rows of plantings and hand weeding around the young trees is recommended Consult your local county extension agent for herbicide recommendations Once established the plums should be able to fend for themselves If fruit seed production is the goal then annual maintenance is required In this case fruit orchard management techniques should be employed Generation 2 seed is available to commercial growers from the USDA NRCS Plant Materials Center PMC in Manhattan Kan to establish seed production orchards Contact the Manhattan PMC http plant materials nrcs usda gov kspmc for a list of commercial vendors that handle Chisholm John M Row Plant Materials Specialist Manhattan Plant Materials Center Manhattan KS john row@ ks usda gov Name Prunus angustifolia Common name Chickasaw plum Hardiness Zones 5b to 7a Mature height About 10 feet Mature spread 15 to 25 feet Classification Deciduous shrub Landscape Use Wildlife habitat for species of concern such as lesser prairie chicken painted bunting and Bells vireo shrub rows in multi row windbreaks criticalarea treatment plantings to control soil erosion Ornamental Characteristics Slender glabrous leaves numerous slender zigzag twigs with smooth reddish brown bark off white or yellowish white flowers small thin skinned red orange red or yellow fruit that is not glaucous but has a slight bloom 38 JANUARY 2012 American Nurseryman www amerinursery com