Indian Plum

These early-blooming shrubs are leafing out just about everywhere we've walked lately. We've seen them at Noble Woods, Rood Bridge, Jackson Bottom, Cooper Mountain, and even along our dog-walking route. Since they were forcefully calling out to us, I just had to create a dedicated post!

Around here, Indian Plum seems to be called Osoberry. Interestingly, Oemleria cerasiformis, is the only species in the Oemleria genus and is in the Rose family. It's native to the Pacific Coast area, as far south as Santa Barbara, CA. The shrub is typically 3 to 8 ft. tall. The greenish-white flowers are about 1/2 inch long and hang down from the branches in clusters.

In summer, the small fruits start out peach colored, but turn purple, like a plum as they ripen. Most references listed the fruit as edible but bitter with a large pit. It seems they were used by local indigenous peoples, mainly during festivities, dried and mixed with oils or other dried fruits. Bears are said to be among the animals that feed on the fruit as well. Oso is Spanish for bear, hence the name Osoberry. For the humans, tea and anesthetic were made from the ground up bark.

Another point of interest: the crushed leaves have a cucumber smell (try it, it's true!). The flowers are an important early blossom for bee survival and propagation of the plant. The plant cannot self-pollinate, so I suppose it is a good sign that we've seen so many of these blooming around the area! 3/25/2014