Editing Plum (section)

{{short description|Edible fruit}}
{{Other uses}}
{{hatnote|"Plumtree" redirects here. For the Canadian band, see [[Plumtree (band)]]. For other uses, see [[Plumtree (disambiguation)]].}}

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[[File:Plums African Rose - whole, halved and slice.jpg|thumb|African Rose plums ([[Japan]]ese or [[China|Chinese]] plum).]]
A '''plum''' is a [[fruit]] of some species in [[Prunus subg. Prunus|''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'']]''.'' Dried plums are often called [[prune]]s, though in the United States they may be labeled as 'dried plums', especially during the 21st century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is the Difference Between Prunes and Dried Plums? |url=http://www.delightedcooking.com/what-is-the-difference-between-prunes-and-dried-plums.htm |access-date=2023-04-01 |website=Delighted Cooking |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="oxford">{{cite web|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/prune|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160925134919/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/prune|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 25, 2016|title=Prune|publisher=Oxford Dictionaries, Oxford University Press|date=2018|access-date=1 March 2018}}</ref>
[[File:Plum blossom on the first day of spring - geograph.org.uk - 1214413.jpg|thumb|Plum flowers]]
[[File:Šljiva Stanley - zeleni plodovi.2.jpg|thumb|180px|Plum unripe fruits]]

Plums are likely to have been one of the first fruits domesticated by humans, with origins in [[Eastern Europe|East European]] and [[Caucasus Mountains|Caucasian mountains]] and [[China]]. They were brought to [[Great Britain|Britain]] from Asia, and their cultivation has been documented in [[Andalusia]], southern [[Spain]]. Plums are a diverse group of species, with trees reaching a height of {{convert|5|-|6|m}} when pruned. The fruit is a [[drupe]], with a firm and juicy flesh.

[[China]] is the largest producer of plums, followed by [[Romania]] and [[Serbia]]. Japanese or Chinese plums dominate the fresh fruit market, while European plums are also common in some regions. Plums can be eaten fresh, dried to make prunes, used in [[Fruit preserves|jams]], or fermented into [[fruit wine|wine]] and distilled into [[fruit brandy|brandy]]. Plum kernels contain [[cyanogenic glycosides]], but the oil made from them is not commercially available.

In terms of [[nutrition]], raw plums are 87% water, 11% [[carbohydrate]]s, 1% protein, and less than 1% fat. They are a moderate source of vitamin C but do not contain significant amounts of other [[micronutrient]]s.