ABSTRACT
The genus Prunus is widely distributed in North America, and the plum species addressed differ in degrees of adaptation to temperature. Fruit from wild trees of most of the North American plum species is commonly collected and used for jams, jellies, pies, sauces, and preserves. The quantity and quality are generally not up to the standards of commercially marketed plums. Cultivars of the North American plum species are often excellent. The Eurasian plums of section Prunus (common plum, damson plum, Japanese plum) are the most important plums in agriculture and can be expected to remain so. However, these species have proven difficult to grow in many parts of North America because they are often poorly adapted to drought (especially in the prairies of North America), frost (particularly in northern regions), and fungal, bacterial, and viral diseases (notably in the eastern and southern states).
