Mexican plum blossoms
On February 6th along the northern stretch of Spicewood Springs Rd. I photographed a few early blossoms on a Mexican plum tree (Prunus mexicana), which is also native in central Texas. This was the first flowering tree I saw in 2019; in fact it’s still the only one because overcast skies, cold, and drizzle have combined to keep me from going out much in nature this past week.
© 2019 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
Very pretty.
Gallivanta
February 12, 2019 at 5:13 AM
Simplicity did the trick here.
Steve Schwartzman
February 12, 2019 at 6:38 AM
Is the fruit of the Mexican plum edible? If so, delicious?
MichaelStephenWills
February 12, 2019 at 5:30 AM
Not knowing the answers, I found an article that provides them:
https://www.foragingtexas.com/2009/07/plum-wild.html
Steve Schwartzman
February 12, 2019 at 6:40 AM
Great website!
Ms. Liz
February 12, 2019 at 12:18 PM
Agreed: an excellent site it is.
Steve Schwartzman
February 12, 2019 at 2:10 PM
Such a pretty curve.
Heyjude
February 12, 2019 at 6:34 AM
Observations on geometry are always welcome here.
Steve Schwartzman
February 12, 2019 at 6:44 AM
Beautiful, delicate, and calm — lovely photograph, Steve.
Jet Eliot
February 12, 2019 at 8:26 AM
I’m happy to hear you felt a sense of calm, especially as this plum tree grows at the edge of a main street within sight and sound of a freeway a block away.
Steve Schwartzman
February 12, 2019 at 8:32 AM
Beautiful.
floresphotographic
February 12, 2019 at 1:14 PM
Thanks. You have the right name for this picture.
Steve Schwartzman
February 12, 2019 at 2:11 PM
Great picture – I can practically smell them!
M.B. Henry
February 12, 2019 at 4:40 PM
Someone else commented about the scent but unfortunately with so few early blossoms I didn’t smell anything. I’ll see what comes my way later in the season.
Steve Schwartzman
February 12, 2019 at 9:27 PM
If they are half as fragrant as cherry blossoms, you won’t be disappointed 🙂
M.B. Henry
February 13, 2019 at 4:29 PM
Let’s hope you’re right.
Steve Schwartzman
February 13, 2019 at 5:53 PM
They’re beautiful little blossoms, and I’d like to try the fruit sometime. I did look at the link you posted for M.S.Wills, and saw that the flavor varies greatly, but as a rule, I really like plums.
Robert Parker
February 12, 2019 at 6:08 PM
Someone else mentioned the smell, which unfortunately wasn’t strong enough for me to detect, given how few blossoms had opened. If I come across any of the fruit later in the season, I’ll try it to see how it tastes.
Steve Schwartzman
February 12, 2019 at 9:20 PM
Between Spicewood Springs Road and McKinney Falls, you’ve found some beautiful examples of this tree. While I enjoyed looking back at your photos of the trees in full bloom, this is a fine complement. I like its simplicity.
Somehow, I’d never gotten around to identifying a tree I found in bloom on the Willow City Loop, but when I looked at the photos just now, it’s clearly Mexican plum. On that trip, the redbuds were in full bloom, too. I was there on March 22, so it’s getting time to be making the trek again.
shoreacres
February 12, 2019 at 7:12 PM
You’re reading my mind again. I looked back at posts showing Mexican plum trees covered with lots of blossoms, thinking I might include a link in case anyone wanted to see the later stage. Then I decided to wait and see whether I find any fully flowering plum trees later in the season that I can make new pictures of—just as this post’s minimalist image of just a few flowers was something new.
Steve Schwartzman
February 12, 2019 at 9:24 PM
Beautiful photo! From here it’s hard to imagine spring blossoms already. I spent most of the day plowing snow.
montucky
February 12, 2019 at 10:38 PM
Yes, plowing snow is an alien pastime here. And yet I remember how early in the year you’ve sometimes shown new wildflowers you found up there, even when snow was still heavily around.
Steve Schwartzman
February 13, 2019 at 7:15 AM
Pretty – and they look similar to a pear tree blossom
norasphotos4u
February 13, 2019 at 8:04 PM
The resemblance isn’t just coincidental: pears and plums are both members of the rose family.
Steve Schwartzman
February 13, 2019 at 9:11 PM
WHOA! A new one for me. I am already baffled by the different species that are known as ‘American plum’. I do not know the Mexican plum.
tonytomeo
February 14, 2019 at 9:46 PM
Here’s more info about it:
https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PRME
From the range map you can see it has a pretty wide distribution:
https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=PRME
Steve Schwartzman
February 14, 2019 at 10:11 PM
Goodness! That is a big range! It is something that I should have been familiar with.
The American plum that is common here is naturalized from understock of the old orchard trees, but is actually not native. It is a rather nice plum, but made me more interested in the other North American species that are related to it. They can be difficult to distinguish.
tonytomeo
February 16, 2019 at 1:42 AM
One good thing is that you can see Mexican plum trees when you finally return to Oklahoma.
I have plenty of trouble distinguishing species. A documentary about Australia’s Great Barrier Reef that we watched yesterday said 2000 species of sponges live there. At least the sponges in my kitchen come in distinctive colors.
Steve Schwartzman
February 16, 2019 at 8:34 AM
Those documentaries never show where the rectangular sponges grow.
tonytomeo
February 17, 2019 at 9:25 AM
What an oversight.
Steve Schwartzman
February 17, 2019 at 10:05 AM
[…] to the blossoming Mexican plum tree you recently saw in a picture from February 6th were these fungi growing on a dead branch. Mycologist David Lewis […]
Fungi on a dead branch | Portraits of Wildflowers
February 17, 2019 at 5:35 PM
[…] one and then another recent post showed things I photographed along the northern end of Spicewood […]
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February 19, 2019 at 4:29 AM
Lovely shot. Has it gotten nicer? I’ve been reading how so much of the country is getting pounded by this series of storms, with even snow falling where it usually doesn’t. My friend Joyce and I are getting stir-crazy, not being able to get out into the preserves. Sheets of uneven ice everywhere, and the temps stubbornly staying cold.
melissabluefineart
February 27, 2019 at 7:45 AM
I’m sorry about your stir-craziness and cold and ice, and also sorry to say that’s not unusual for February in northern Illinois. Down here it’s 73° now with a mostly sunny sky. That’s why I moved south.
As for the plum tree, I haven’t been back by there, so I don’t know how the blossoming has progressed. I assume, based on past years, that a lot more flowers have come out. I hope so.
Steve Schwartzman
February 27, 2019 at 3:16 PM
I’ve been busy though. I had a show end, and another is about to start. That means lots of carrying paintings around. I’m grateful for the opportunities!
melissabluefineart
February 28, 2019 at 8:00 AM
Glad to hear about the opportunities. Hope you made and make a good showing.
Steve Schwartzman
February 28, 2019 at 8:08 AM
Thank you Steve. Opportunities are wonderful things when they come along.
melissabluefineart
March 2, 2019 at 8:54 AM