The plum is one of a fruit that most of the people love. If you want a fact as a proof, you must known that it’s the second most cultivated fruit worldwide.
Let’s find out more about it!
- A plum is a fruit of some species in Prunus subg. Prunus.
- Mature plum fruits may have a dusty-white waxy coating that gives them a glaucous appearance.
- This is an epicuticular wax coating and is known as “wax bloom”.
- Dried plums are called prunes, which have a dark, wrinkled appearance.
- Plums are the second most cultivated fruit in the world.
- The fruit is grown on every continent except Antarctica.
- Plums grow best in temperate areas.
- The fruit can grow in many colors such as purple, reddish purple, yellow, red, green, or white.
- The fruit grows on trees.
- Some trees can reach 20 to 33 feet tall.
- The trees blossom at different times in different places across the globe. In the United Kingdom, the trees blossom in early April. In Taiwan, the trees blossom in January.
- The European plum originated around 2,000 years ago near the Caspian Sea.
- The Japanese plum was first grown in China thousands of years ago. It was then developed in Japan and introduced to the rest of the world.
- It is unknown how many species of plum exist. Some say there are 19 species while others say there are 40 species.
- The most common varieties of plum are the Damson, Greengage, Yellowgage, Victoria plum, Satsuma plum, and Mirabelle plum.
- Mirabelle plums are grown in France.
- A large amount of the Damson plum is grown in Hungary.
- Plums are in season from May to early October.
- All parts of the fruit, except for the pit, are edible.
- The fruit is soften once picked.
- The fruit can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- Plums are related to apricots, peaches, apples, cherries, raspberries, pears, almonds, and strawberries.
- The color “plum” is named after the fruit.
- Plums symbolize good fortune in Chinese culture.
- The name plum derived from Old English plume or “plum, plum tree”, which extended from Germanic language or Middle Dutch, and Latin prūnum,[8] from Ancient Greek προῦμνον proumnon.
- It is believed to be a loanword from Asia Minor.
- In the late 18th century, the word, plum, was used to indicate “something desirable”, probably in reference to tasty fruit pieces in desserts.
- In 2019, global production of plums (data combined with sloes) was 12.6 million tonnes.
- The production was led by China with 56% of the world total (table).
- Romania and Serbia were secondary producers.
