Plant of the Month: Indian Plum (Oemlaria cerasiformis)

Around the time this newsletter comes out, some of you will
probably be looking for the first signs of spring. A good place
to start is the shrub Oemleria cerasiformis, also called osoberry
or Indian plum. Native to the west slope of the Cascades from
BC toCalifornia, it is one of the earliest low altitude spring
bloomers. Here in thePuget Soundlowlands, it can occasionally
be found in flower as early as late January. O. cerasiformis is
dioeceous, with male plants being more common than females,
and also sporting more flowers and a longer blooming time.
Male and female flowers are superficially similar, but if you
look inside (use a hand lens), the flower will either have
developed stamens or ovaries. You can also “cheat” by
looking for the remaining stems from last year’s fruit on the
female plants.

In the landscape, osoberry tends to blend in with the other
shrubs in the forest edge or riparian area, an inconspicuous
wall of green when it is not dressed in sprays of delicate white
flowers. In my yard, at least, the leaves start to yellow and fall
by late August, making it both early to bed and early to rise.
The fruits are drupes, like plums or cherries, (also members of
the rose family), and ripen as early as May or June, first
blushing orange, then red, then nearly black when they are ripe.
They are edible, if you can get to them before the birds and
critters do – everyone from cedar waxwings and grosbeaks to
raccoons and coyotes enjoys an osoberry. Try to find one from
a sunny branch. It will have a higher sugar content. If you can
collect enough, they make an excellent jam.
So, put on your boots and raingear, and take yourself for a walk
along a lowland forest edge, looking for the first signs of
spring. See if you can find a female osoberry, and keep
checking back in early summer. Maybe you’ll get lucky and
find enough plums to make jam.

Original Post by: Janka Hobbs

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