   #copyright

Plum

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Food and agriculture;
Plants

          "Plum" is also a nickname for British humorist P.G. Wodehouse,
          cricketer Sir Pelham Warner and British-born fashion writer and
          novelist Victoria "Plum" Sykes.

                   iPlum
   Plums
   Plums
         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
      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. 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
     * P. cocomilia
     * P. consociiflora
     * P. domestica
     * P. salicina
     * P. simonii
     * P. spinosa
     * 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
     * P. mexicana
     * P. nigra
     * P. orthosepala
     * P. subcordata
     * Sect. Armeniaca (Apricots). Leaves in bud rolled inwards; flowers
       very short-stalked; fruit velvety. Treated as a distinct subgenus
       by some authors.
     * P. armeniaca
     * P. brigantina
     * P. mume
     * P. sibirica

Cultivation and uses

   Plum fruit is sweet, juicy and edible, 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. Dried plums are known as prunes. Prunes are sweet
   and juicy. They also contain several antioxidants that may slow aging.

   Prune marketers in the United States have, in recent years, begun
   marketing their product as "dried plums", because "prune" has negative
   connotations connected with elderly people suffering from constipation.

   Various flavours of dried plum are available in Southeast Asia and
   specialty stores worldwide. They tend to be much drier than the
   standard prune. Cream, Ginsing, Spicy, and Salty are among the common
   variety flavours. Licorice is generally used to intensify the flavour
   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".

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

   Plums come in a wide variety of colours and sizes. Some are much
   firmer-fleshed than others and some have yellow, white, green or red
   flesh, with equally varying skin colour.

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

   Plum cultivars in use today include:
     * Damson, or Damask Plum
     * Greengage, or greengage plum (firm, green flesh and skin even when
       ripe)
     * Mirabelle (a dark yellow plum predominantly grown in northeast
       France)
     * Satsuma plum (firm red flesh with a red skin)
     * Golden or yellowgage plum (like the 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 plum ( Serbian: шљива / šljiva) and the alcoholic drink slivovitz (
   Serbian: шљивовица / šljivovica) are both very popular in Serbia, where
   plum production averages 424,300 tonnes per year; FAO 1991–2001.

   The mei blossom (Prunus mume), along with the peony, are considered
   traditional floral emblems of China. In 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 . The
   designation, repeats a previous statement by the ROC government in 1929
   .

   In Taiwan the plum has been increasingly used as the national emblem of
   the Republic of China, as the 12-ray sun originated from the Kuomintang
   party flag.

   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.

   Prunus domestica

   Prunus domestica

   Bluebyrd plum

   Plum (variety Tucker) - watercolor 1894

   Plum (variety Pacific Prune) - watercolor 1893

   Plum blossoms

   Plum blossom
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
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