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Rosaceae
Beach Plum
Prunus maritima
Coastal perseverance.
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Genus
- Prunus
- Native to
- Eastern United States coastline
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Type
- shrub
- Height
- 3-8 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- sandy, well-drained, poor
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- 3-7
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Beach plum jam was a staple of Cape Cod cuisine for centuries and remains a prized artisanal product today.
- The plant thrives in pure sand dunes, tolerating salt spray and sandy, nutrient-poor soils that would kill most fruit trees.
- It was one of the first wild fruits encountered by the Pilgrims, documented in accounts from Plymouth Colony in 1621.
- The fruit quality varies wildly from bush to bush, so foragers guard the locations of their best-tasting finds.
- Efforts are underway to domesticate beach plum as a commercial crop, with selected cultivars now available for orchards.
Color meanings
0
independence
1
resilience
2
coastal beauty