The adult tree is 3–6 m tall, with rounded or conical canopy up to 2 m wide. New leaves are rusty-brown, turning yellow and then deep dark green. The reddish-brown bark peels off naturally showing a smooth reddish trunk. Leaves are simple, in opposite pairs, with smooth leathery texture, smooth edges, and the apex curved downwards.
Flowers are borne from November through January; they come in groups of 20 or more stalks, each bearing two flowers, sprouting from the base of leaf stalks.
Fruits mature between February and March. The ripe fruit is a round or slightly elongated berry, up to 20 mm wide and 25 mm long. It has a thin purple-black skin and a wet, firm, whitish pulp about 3–5 mm thick, surrounding a loose single (rarely double) seed. It is edible, moderately sweet, with an aroma similar to (but less intense than) that of the jabuticaba.
Benefits:
The fruit are consumed fresh or made into jams. In the folk medicine of the region of Sergipe, the infusion of leaves has been used for the treatment of pain and fever. The essential oil distilled from the leaves (green 0.14% by weight) contains isomers of guaiol and cadinol, elemenes and viridiflorene. They are rich in vitamin E, have more lutein than an avocado (for eye health), as well as containing zinc, folate, calcium, potassium and magnesium.
Sunlight:
Plums usually require a tepid or temperate climate for its growth, however cultivation can be found between the hills of Kashmir with temperature nearing 0 degrees to the plains of Rajasthan with soaring temperatures of more than 45 degrees. Plums require less chilling hours under 7.2 degree Celsius. Plum trees need full sun to produce sweet fruit, so pick a planting site that gets at least six hours a day. For soil, they prefer loamy, well-draining soil rich with organic matter.
Watering:
Young plum trees need to be watered at least once a week to promote healthy root growth. Once the tree is established, it requires regular watering, especially in the dry summer months. Deeply water your plum tree once every two to four weeks.
Soil:
Plums prefer slightly acid soil (pH 6.0-6.8) and thrive in lightweight loamy, well-draining soil. Plum trees grow and produce the best fruit in well-drained but moist fertile soil that is rich in organic matter, but tolerate a wide range of soils as long as water and nutrients are not limiting and soil pH is adequate.
Fertilizer:
When to Fertilize Plum Trees. In nutrient-rich soil, you can withhold using fertilizers until your plum trees begin bearing fruit (average: 2-4 years after planting). If your new plum trees don’t put on several inches of new green growth during the growing season, consider fertilizing starting the following spring.