fauntleroy tree walk
Osoberry
lushootseed name:
Latin name:
Oemleria cerasiformis
Family:
Rosaceae, the rose family
Habitat
This species is found along the coast from southern British Columbia to southern California. Indian plum likes well-drained soils in open, sunny forests along the drier margins of wetlands. It is highly adaptable to disturbance, shade, and moisture conditions, putting out many “sucker roots” and making it a great restoration species.
Identification
growth habit
Large shrub growing from 8-20 ft tall and forming groves.
leaves
Arising from a whirl at the end of the branch, these leaves are lance-shaped. The margins are simple without any teeth, and the backs of the leaves are quite hairy. Crush the leaf to release a cucumber-like smell.
flower
White flowers hang in a pendant fashion from the leaf whirls. The dainty petals are of 5 and encase yellow stamens.
fruits
Resembling a small plum, hence the name, these fruits hang from red stalks in a pendant fashion. These fruits are salmon to purple or black with ripeness. If you break the fruit open, it would have a pit.
bark
Tan to brown-red and with numerous, skinny trunks arising from the ground.
Look-a-likes
You might mistake this plant for a saskatoon due to their similar plum-like fruits, yet saskatoon has more ovular leaves that are blue-green in color with teeth at its tips. It is the only member in its genus in the region but does resemble those in the Prunus genus, which have plum-like fruits.
Ecology
One of the first to flower in February to April but last to fruit in May to July, Indian plum is a great sign that the cold and wet winter is transitioning to warmer spring. The flowers provide a great nectar source for pollinators like hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees.
The female flowers have a pleasant scent, watermelon-like, yet the male flowers have a putrid odor, resembling cat urine. It has been deemed another common name, “skunkbush.” The scent is likely an attractant to pollinators.
Another common name for the species is “osoberry.” The word “oso” means bear in Spanish. Mammals that once roamed this land frequently — like bears, deer, coyote, and foxes — relish the arrival of these fruits. The fruits are very short-lived, as birds like bullock’s oriole, cedar waxwings, western tanagers, and American robins tend to eat one of the last sweet treats of summer.
Ethnobotany
Indian plum was mainly used as a starvation food, as the berries taste very bitter until they are very ripe (dark purple to black). The fruit contains hydrogen cyanide and can be dangerous in high quantities. However, the primely ripened fruits have been mixed with oolichan grease, a butter-like substance made from fish oils, as a feast food.
The bark has been used to make tea to treat tuberculosis and constipation and as a purgative. Stems have been chewed for a pain-relieving effect or have been burned and applied to wounds for a similar impact.