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Wind Cave National Park
Shrubs - Wild Plum
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| NPS Photo |
| Wild Plum - Prunus americana |
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Shrub 3 to 10 feet tall with white blossoms in late spring, producing yellow-to-red fruits. Both Plains Indians and settlers relished this fruit raw, dried, or cooked in jellies and preserves. Lewis and Clark wrote of its abundance alongside rivers and grassy bottomlands, standing in many-acre colonies. These groves are both naturally occurring and, in some cases, may have been the result of “rubbish piles” of plum seeds discarded by Plains Indians camped nearby.
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Did You Know?
The Field Milkvetch has a colorful flower which is often overlooked because it tends to grow hidden in the grass. Color can vary to reddish-purple.
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Last Updated: August 25, 2006 at 19:35 EST |
