THE CHICKASAW PLUMS 191 



The Chickasaw Group 



It now remains to discuss the botanical status of 

 the southern type of plums, of which the Newman, 

 Pottawattamie, Wild Goose, Miner and Way land are 

 examples. We shall find that greater uncertainty 

 and confusion attach to these fruits than to their 

 congeners of the North. These southern fruits are 

 generally known as the Chickasaw plums. If we 

 examine them critically, however, we shall find that 

 they fall somewhat readily into two groups. One of 

 these groups we shall call the true Chickasaws (Fig. 

 28). This group differs from other plums by a more 

 slender, spreading and zigzag growth, usually smaller 

 size of tree, red twigs, by smaller, lanceolate or 

 oblong -lanceolate, very closely serrate, shining leaves, 

 which are conduplicate or trough -like in habit, by 

 early small flowers which, upon old wood, are densely 

 clustered on the spurs, and by an early red (rarely 

 yellow) and more or less spotted translucent fruit, 

 the flesh of which is soft, juicy, and more or less 

 stringy, and very tightly adherent to the small, broad, 

 roughish stone. 



This species, like Prunus Americana, was founded 

 by Humphrey Marshall in 1785. His full descrip- 

 tion is as follows: "Prunus angustifolia. Chickasaw 

 Plumb. This is scarcely of so large a growth as 

 the former [P. Americana], but rising with a stiff, 

 shrubby stalk, dividing into many branches, which 

 are garnished with smooth lance -shaped leaves, much 

 smaller and narrower than the first kind [P. Ameri- 

 cana] , a little waved on their edges, marked with 

 very fine, slight, coloured serratures, and of an equal, 



