Stone fruits are some of the most familiar native edible fruits: cherries and plums. They are members of the Amygdaleae tribe of the Spiraeoideae subfamily of the rose family. (The Spiraeoideae subfamily of the rose family also contains the pome fruits.) The stone fruits native to the Yuba-Sutter area are all in the genus Prunus.
Because the native cherries and plums have not been bred for maximum edibility, their fruits tend to contain less flesh around the seed than the ones commonly sold in grocery stores. However, their taste is similar.
Western Chokecherry
A very young Western chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) in a garden in Marysville. Photo by queerbychoice. Western chokecherry is a 15- to 25-foot-tall by five- to eight-foot-wide, white-flowering, deciduous tree or tall shrub that is native to Yuba and Sutter Counties and typically grows at elevations below 8,000 feet. It is most often found on rocky slopes in central oak woodland, yellow pine forest, and riparian forest. It prefers full sun and moderate to good drainage. It is equally likely to grow in wetlands or non-wetlands. It attracts black-headed grosbeaks, Western bluebirds, and Western tanagers. The caterpillars of Lorquin's admiral, two-tailed swallowtail, and Western tiger swallowtail butterflies eat its leaves, and adult anise swallowtail butterflies drink the nectar of its flowers.
You can read more about it at the Theodore Payne Wiki, the Las Pilitas Nursery website, and USDA Conservation Plant Characteristics. You can find out where to buy it at the California Native Plant Link Exchange. You can see pictures of it at CalPhotos, Flickr, and Picasa.
Bitter Cherry
Bitter cherry is a 25- to 80-foot-tall, white-flowering, deciduous tree that is native to Yuba County and typically grows at elevations below 9,000 feet. It is most often found on rocky slopes and ridges in yellow pine forest. It prefers full sun and good drainage. It attracts Western tanagers.
You can read more about it at the Theodore Payne Wiki, the Las Pilitas Nursery website, and USDA Conservation Plant Characteristics. You can find out where to buy it at the California Native Plant Link Exchange. You can see pictures of it at CalPhotos, Flickr, and Picasa.
Klamath Plum
Klamath plum is a 20- to 25-foot-tall, white-flowering, deciduous tree or tall shrub that is native to Yuba County and typically grows at elevations below 6,000 feet. It is most often found on slopes in yellow pine forest. It prefers full sun and moderate to good drainage. It attracts Western tanagers.
You can read more about it at the Theodore Payne Wiki and USDA Conservation Plant Characteristics. You can find out where to buy it at the California Native Plant Link Exchange. You can see pictures of it at CalPhotos, Flickr, and Picasa.
