Plum, Prairie Red
(Prunus Americana ‘Prairie Red’)

Prairie Red is a hybrid winter hardy plum.  Leaves are alternate and simple with sharply serrate margins and prominent veins.  Branches are smooth when young but become rigid and spiny as they mature.  White flowers with five petals bloom in May.  Fruit that forms in late summer is red or reddish yellow in color.  The fruit size is 1.5 inches in diamter.  Prairie Red Plum can be included in farmstead and field windbreaks as well as wildlife and recreational plantings.  The plum furnishes both good habitat and food for wildlife.  It produces a sweet edible fruit which can be made into jelly.