What Are Wild Plums?
There are actually several different species that occur in the UK and could be called wild plums – Prunus domestica is the true wild plum (as well as the main ancestor of cultivated varieties), Prunus cerasifera is the Cherry Plum – with smaller, spherical red or yellow fruits, Prunus insititia is the Bullace – with small, blue-black fruits (but not to be mistaken for the sloe – Prunus spinosa. Matters are not made less confusing by the promiscuity of species in this genus – so natural hybrids are also common – having characteristics typically intermediate of their parents. Also, escaped (feral) seedlings from cultivation are quite frequent.
