Garden and orchard · Prunus domestica
Discovering plum
Why do plums wear a pale, dusty coat? Puschel and Flauschi take a closer look at the purple fruit.
The short answer
European plums may be round or oval and purple, red or yellow. Zwetschgen, often called prune plums in English, are a usually elongated form of European plum. A plum tree has oval, toothed leaves. Its fruit develops from flowers.
See the connection
Simplified drawings, not to scale. Not a guide for identifying species.
An imagined Wusel scene
Puschel and Flauschi investigate
Puschel sits in the grass. Puschel“Those purple plums are wearing a pale dusty coat!”
Flauschi points at a low branch. Flauschi“That is often their natural waxy coating. We do not need to rub it off to look.”
Puschel nods. Puschel“Does a stone live inside?” Flauschi giggles. Flauschi“A fruit stone, not a pebble from the path.”
The fruit
European plums may be round or oval and purple, red or yellow. Zwetschgen, often called prune plums in English, are a usually elongated form of European plum.
Leaf and plant
A plum tree has oval, toothed leaves. Its fruit develops from flowers.
What makes it special
There is a hard stone inside. The pale bloom on the skin is a natural waxy coating.
Try explaining it
What can develop from a plum-tree flower?
Choose a), b) or c), then explain your choice.
- a)A fruit.
- b)A new leaf bud instead of a fruit.
- c)A piece of bark enclosing the seed.
Show the explanation
Correct: a): A fruit.
European plums may be round or oval and purple, red or yellow. Zwetschgen, often called prune plums in English, are a usually elongated form of European plum. A plum tree has oval, toothed leaves. Its fruit develops from flowers.
Word help
- toothed
- The edge has little points like tiny teeth. A leaf has no real teeth.
- fruit stone
- A hard inner layer of fruit around a seed, not a pebble.
Explore in more detail
Here you will find longer explanations and further details. You can explore them together.
Is the stone itself the seed?
The hard plum stone is a protective inner layer of the fruit. The actual seed lies inside it, while soft flesh surrounds it. Plums are therefore stone fruits. A fruit stone is not a pebble from the ground, even if it feels similarly hard.
Compare and understand
A damson-type prune plum is a form of European plum, not an unrelated fruit. Compare known varieties whole and cut open by adults. Shape, juiciness and how easily the stone separates can differ. Keep stones and seeds out of food and do not crack them open.
An optional question for further exploration
You can use the longer explanation above. This is extra, not needed for the first quiz.
An extra question
Why can plum skin look as if it has a pale dusty coat?
Show answer
The bloom is a natural waxy coating on the skin.
May we taste unknown berries based on a picture?
Show answer
No. Never taste unknown berries. Adults help identify known edible fruit safely.