plum

(botany) Any of various shrubs or small trees of the genus Prunus that bear smooth-skinned, globular to oval, drupaceous stone fruit.
(geology) A clast embedded in a matrix of a different kind, especially a pebble in a conglomerate.

Any of the smooth-skinned stone fruits grown on shrubs or small trees. Plums are widely distributed in all land areas of the North Temperate Zone, where many species and varieties are adapted to different climatic and soil conditions.

There are four principal groups: (1) Domestica (Prunus domestica) of European or Southwest Asian origin, (2) Japanese or Salicina (P. salicina) of Chinese origin, (3) Insititia or Damson (P. insititia) of Eurasian origin, and (4) American (P. americana and P. hortulana). The Domesticas are large, meaty, prune-type plums. A prune is a plum which dries without spoiling.

Fruit of numerous species of Prunus. Common European plums are P. domestica; blackthorn or sloe is P. spinosa; bullace is P. insititia; damson is P. damascena; gages are P. italica; beach plum is a wild plum, Prunus maritime. The UK National Fruit Collection contains 336 varieties of plum. A 200-g portion of dessert plums (four medium-size fruits weighed without stones) is a source of vitamin C; provides 3 g of dietary fibre; supplies 100 kcal (420 kJ).

There are hundreds of plum varieties cultivated throughout the world. All grow in clusters, have smooth, deeply colored skin and a center pit. Plums can range in shape from oval to round and in size from 1 to 3 inches in diameter. Their color can be yellow, green, red, purple, indigo blue and almost anything in between. The pale silvery-gray, filmy-looking coating on a plum's skin is natural and doesn't affect quality. in general, plums can be divided into two categories: Japanese and European. Japanese plums (which actually originated in China) are the larger of the two and have a juicier, softer flesh. European plums are good eaten fresh, but are particularly well suited to drying and cooking. The Japanese varieties include Coe's Golden Drop-yellow skin and rich, sweet flesh; greengage-small and round with a greenish-yellow skin and tangy-sweet flesh; Santa Rosa-large and dark purple with yellow flesh; and Satsuma-dark red skin and sweet red flesh; European varieties include D'Agen-used to make prunes; damson-small and oval-shaped with an indigo skin and tart yellow-green flesh; and Robe de Sergeant-dark bluish-purple with a sweet flesh. Fresh plums are available from May to late October. Choose firm plums that give slightly to palm pressure. Avoid those with skin blemishes such as cracks, soft spots or brown discolorations, the latter indicating sunburn. Very firm plums may be stored at room temperature until slightly soft. Refrigerate ripe plums in a plastic bag for up to 4 days. Some plums are grown specifically to be dried as prunes. The majority, however, are enjoyed fresh for out-of-hand eating or for use in a wide variety of sweet and savory preparations. Also available are canned plums, packed in either water or sugar syrup. Plums contain a fair amount of vitamin A and potassium. See also beach plum; mirabelle; plumcot; quetsch; sloe.

noun

1. Something given in return for a service or accomplishment: accolade, award, guerdon, honorarium, premium, prize¹, reward. Idioms: token ofappreciationesteem. See reward/punish/deserve.
2. A person or thing worth catching: catch, prize¹. Slang brass ring. See desire.

Definition: reward, prize
Antonyms: penalty, punishment

For more information on plum, visit Britannica.com.

prunus domestica.

For other uses, see Plum (disambiguation).

Plum
File:Plum on Prunus cultivar
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Rosales Family: Rosaceae Subfamily: Prunoideae Genus: Prunus Subgenus: Prunus
Species
See text.

Plums (without pit) Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 50 kcal   190 kJ
Carbohydrates     11.4 g - Sugars  9.9 g - Dietary fibre  1.4 g   Fat 0.3 g Protein 0.7 g Vitamin C  9.5 mg 16%
Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient database

A plum or gage is a stone fruit tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera (peaches, cherries, bird cherries, etc) in the shoots having a terminal bud and the side buds solitary (not clustered), the flowers being grouped 1-5 together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one side, and a smooth stone.

Contents 1 Species 2 Cultivation and uses 3 Etymology 4 References 5 See also 6 External links

Species

The subgenus is divided into three sections:

• Sect. Prunus (Old World plums). Leaves in bud rolled inwards; flowers 1-3 together; fruit smooth, often wax-bloomed.
  • P. cerasifera (cherry plum)
  • P. cocomilia
  • P. consociiflora"
  • P. domestica (species of most "plums" and "prunes" sold as such)
  • P. simonii
  • P. spinosa (blackthorn or sloe)
• Sect. Prunocerasus (New World plums). Leaves in bud folded inwards; flowers 3-5 together; fruit smooth, often wax-bloomed.
  • P. alleghaniensis
  • P. americana
  • P. angustifolia
  • P. hortulana
  • P. maritima (beach plum)
  • P. mexicana
  • P. nigra
  • P. orthosepala
  • P. subcordata (Klamath, Oregon, or Sierra plum)
• Sect. Armeniaca (Apricots). Leaves in bud rolled inwards; flowers very short-stalked; fruit velvety. Treated as a distinct subgenus by some authors.
  • P. armeniaca (apricot)
  • P. brigantina
  • P. mume (ume)
  • P. sibirica

Cultivation and uses

Plum and sloe output in 2005

Plums

Plum fruit is sweet and juicy and it can be eaten fresh or used in jam-making or other recipes. Plum juice can be fermented into plum wine; when distilled, this produces a brandy known in Eastern Europe as Slivovitz, Rakia, Tzuica or Palinka. Dried plums are known as prunes. Prunes are also sweet and juicy and contain several antioxidants.

Prune marketers in the United States have, in recent years, begun marketing their product as "dried plums". This is due to "prune" having negative connotations connected with elderly people suffering from constipation.^[1]

Various flavors of dried plum are available at Chinese grocers and specialty stores worldwide. They tend to be much drier than the standard prune. Cream, Ginsing, Spicy, and Salty are among the common varieties. Licorice is generally used to intensify the flavor of these plums and is used to make salty plum drinks and toppings for Shaved Ice or baobing.

Pickled plums are another type of preserve available in Asia and international specialty stores. The Japanese variety, called umeboshi, is often used for rice balls, called "Onigiri" or "Omusubi". The ume, from which umeboshi are made, is however more closely related to the apricot than to the plum.

Prune kernel oil is made from the fleshy inner part of the pit of the plum.

Plums come in a wide variety of colors and sizes. Some are much firmer-fleshed than others and some have yellow, white, green, orange, purple, pink, black, or red flesh, with equally varying skin color.

Plums and prunes are known for their laxative effect. This effect has been attributed to various compounds present in the fruits, such as dietary fiber, sorbitol,^[2] and isatin.^[3] Prunes and prune juice are often used to help regulate the functioning of the digestive system.

Blossoming plum, by Chinese artist Wang Mian (1287-1359).

Plum cultivars in use today include:

• Damson, or Damask Plum
• Greengage (Firm, green flesh and skin even when ripe.)
• Mirabelle (Dark yellow, predominantly grown in northeast France.)
• Satsuma plum (Firm red flesh with a red skin.)
• Yellowgage, or Golden plum (Similar to Greengage, but yellow.)

When it flowers in the early spring, a plum tree will be covered in blossom, and in a good year approximately 50% of the flowers will be pollinated and become plums. Flowering starts after 80 growing degree days.

If the weather is too dry the plums will not develop past a certain stage, but will fall from the tree while still tiny green buds, and if it is unseasonably wet or if the plums are not harvested as soon as they are ripe, the fruit may develop a fungal condition called brown rot. Brown rot is not toxic, and very small affected areas can be cut out of the fruit, but unless the rot is caught immediately the fruit will no longer be edible. Plum is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera including November Moth, Willow Beauty and Short-cloaked Moth.

The Serbian plum (Serbian: шљива / šljiva) is the third most produced in the world and the alcoholic drink slivovitz (Plum brandy) (Serbian: шљивовица / šljivovica) is the national drink of Serbia. The plum production averages 424,300 tonnes per year; FAO 1991–2001.^{[citation needed]}

A large number of plums are also grown in Hungary where they are called szilva and are used to make lekvar (a plum paste jam), palinka (a slivovitz-type liquor), plum dumplings, and other foods. The region of Szabolcs-Szatmár, in the northeastern part of the country near the borders with Ukraine and Romania, is a major producer of plums.

The mei blossom (Prunus mume), along with the peony, are considered traditional floral emblems of China. On June 21, 1964, the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China officially designated the mei blossom to be its national flower, with the triple grouping of stamens (one long and two short) representing the Three Principles of the People and the five petals symbolizing the five branches of the ROC government.^[4] The designation repeats a previous statement by the ROC government in 1929. ^[5]

The mei blossom is also the floral symbol of the ancient Chinese city Nanjing, which served as the former capital (and remained designated as the official capital) of the Republic of China.

Etymology

The fruit Prunus armeniaca gained its name from the beliefs of Pliny the Elder, a Roman historian and scientist of the 1st century, who maintained that the apricot was a kind of a plum, and had originally come from Armenia.^[6] Armenian sources support their claims by referring to a 6,000-year-old apricot pit found in an archaeological site near Yerevan.^[6] Other historians point that Mesopotamia as a clue to the Latin name. Apricots were cultivated in Mesopotamia, and it was known as armanu in the Akkadian language.

Prunus domestica	Prunus domestica	Bluebyrd plum	Plum (variety Tucker) - watercolor 1894
Plum (variety Pacific Prune) - watercolor 1893			Plum blossom
		"Golden Drop" (yellowgage)Plum from Iran

References

1. ^ Jason Zasky. "Turning Over a New Leaf Change from 'Prune' to 'Dried Plum' Proving Fruitful". http://www.failuremag.com/arch_business_dried_plums.html. Retrieved on 2008-01-26. 
2. ^ M. Roach, The power of prunes (1999)
3. ^ FoodTV article on plums
4. ^ National Flag, Anthem and Flower
5. ^ China Daily, National Flower, Tree, Bird to Be Chosen
6. ^ ^{a b} Armenian Food: Fact, Fiction & Folklore By Irina Petrosian, David Underwood

See also

• Dietary fiber
• Fruit tree forms
• Fruit tree propagation
• Fruit trees
• Pluot
• Prune (fruit)
• Pruning fruit trees

External links

Find more about Plum on Wikipedia's sister projects: Definitions from Wiktionary

Textbooks from Wikibooks
Quotations from Wikiquote
Source texts from Wikisource
Images and media from Commons
News stories from Wikinews

Learning resources from Wikiversity

• Prunus americanum images hosted by the Department of Biological Sciences of Vanderbilt University

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
1.
n. - blomme, rosin, lækkerbidsken

idioms:

• a plum in one's mouth    en kartoffel i munden

2.
adv. - plump, pladask, lige ud
adj. - fuldstændig, nøjagtig, lodret, lige

Nederlands (Dutch)
pruim, pruimenboom, pruimkleur(ig), iets speciaals, gedroogde pruim, iets aantrekkelijks

Français (French)
1.
n. - (Bot) prune, prunier

idioms:

• have a plum in one's mouth    avoir des sonorités riches dans la voix, avoir de l'affectation dans l'accent

2.
adv. - complètement, précisément
adj. - exactement vertical, total (arg)

Deutsch (German)
1.
n. - Pflaume(nbaum), Leckerbissen, Pflaumenblau

idioms:

• have a plum in one's mouth    affektiert (sprechen)

2.
adv. - senkrecht, genau
adj. - pflaumenblau

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (φυτολ.) δαμάσκηνο, κορόμηλο, τζάνερο, (μτφ.) λουκούμι, εκλεκτό πράγμα, καλύτερη θέση, τεφαρίκι
adj. - εκλεκτός

idioms:

• a plum in one's mouth    πλούσια και κάπως επιτηδευμένη προφορά

Italiano (Italian)
pruno, prugna

idioms:

• a plum in one's mouth    accento affettato, fare la bocca a culo di gallina

Português (Portuguese)
n. - ameixa (f), uva-passa (f), a melhor parte (f)
adj. - cor de ameixa

idioms:

• a plum in one's mouth    sorte grande

Русский (Russian)
слива, лакомый кусочек, самый лучший образец

idioms:

• a plum in one's mouth    говорить с акцентом высшего сословия

Español (Spanish)
1.
n. - ciruelo, ciruela, pruna

idioms:

• have a plum in one's mouth    voz sonora, acento afectado, hablar en forma poco clara, tener una papa en la boca

2.
adv. - a plomo
adj. - perpendicular

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - plommon, läckerbit, russin
adj. - plommonfärgad, mörklila

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
1. 洋李, 李属植物, 梅子, 葡萄干

2. 洋李, 李属植物, 梅子, 葡萄干, 洋李的, 李属植物的, 梅子的, 葡萄干的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
1.
adv. - 洋李, 李屬植物, 梅子, 葡萄乾
adj. - 洋李的, 李屬植物的, 梅子的, 葡萄乾的

2.
n. - 洋李, 李屬植物, 梅子, 葡萄乾

한국어 (Korean)
1.
n. - 서양자두, 캔디

idioms:

• a plum in one's mouth    짐짓 상류사회의 말투를 쓰다

2.
adv. - 수직[연직]으로, 순진하게
adj. - 연추의, 똑바른

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - セイヨウスモモ, プラム, セイヨウスモモの木, 濃い紫色, 干しぶどう, すばらしいもの, 収入のよい仕事

idioms:

• a plum in one's mouth    上流気取りの

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) شجرة البرقوق أو الخوخ, إجاصه (صفه) خوخه, برقوقه, إجاصه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮שזיף, עץ שזיף, משהו טוב, ג'וב מצויין, צבע סגול-אדמדם, צימוק לבישול‬
adv. - ‮בצבע סגול-אדמדם‬
adj. - ‮סגול-אדמדם, איות שונה של BMULP‬

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