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The blooms of Mexican plum or Prunus mexicana are sometimes described as “cherry blossoms” which makes sense because Mexican plums are in the same genus as cherry trees.
The highly fragrant blossoms appear in the late winter, before the leaves, and attract hordes of butterflies and bees.
The tree often grows solitary in clearings and woodland edges in the eastern two-thirds of the state. It tolerates dappled shade as well as full sun. Despite the name it is said to actually be more common in Texas than in Mexico.
It gets as tall as 25 feet and is fast-growing, as well as being attractive, making it a good tree for landscaping.
The bloom coincides with that of the redbud and the two trees look spectacular when planted together.
Mexican plum bears fruit which is rather tart. Another native plum tree known more for its fruit rather than for ornamental value is the Chickasaw plum, Prunus angustifolia, which is much tastier but tends to sucker and only gets 12 – 15 feet tall.
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**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: Bill Hopkins