Is red plum an evergreen or deciduous plant?

Red plum is a small tree of the genus Prunus in the rose family (Rosaceae), and is a type of plum blossom. Red plum has always been one of the subjects recited by ancient literati and poets; in "Three Poems on Red Plum," the great Song dynasty poet Su Shi praised red plum, saying it “deliberately puts on the pink of peach and apricot, yet still retains its lone, slender, snow-and-frost bearing.” Because red plum blooms very early, many people cannot quite understand its phenological characteristics, so is red plum evergreen or deciduous?

I. The phenological characteristics of red plum

Although red plum blooms very early, it still belongs to the deciduous plants, being a small deciduous tree. It generally blooms in late winter and early spring, sets fruit in summer, and sheds its leaves in autumn. When red plum is in bloom, the leaves on the tree have usually all fallen off, and vivid flowers open on the bare branches, looking very distinctive; and because few plants are blooming at that time, it is deeply loved by people.

There are many varieties of plum blossom, with more than 30 major varieties and more than 300 minor varieties under them, and the flowering period is generally about 2 to 3 months. Red plum can be said to be the outstanding one among plum blossoms, and the market demand for red plum is very large every year. In addition, red plum is particularly adaptable, with no strict requirements for soil or climate, and can even grow normally in lightly alkaline soil.

II. The history of plum blossom in our country

Our country is recognized worldwide as the place of origin of plum blossom, and our country's records of plum blossom are also quite early; the Yin-Shang document "Book of Documents · Charge to Yue" contains “if you make a harmonious soup, you are only salt and plum.” From the Spring and Autumn period onward, people began to cultivate and plant plum blossom, and even formed a culture of appreciating plum blossom in the years that followed. Especially in the Song and Yuan eras, plum poems, plum essays, plum writings and plum paintings appeared one after another, and the number of such works was the greatest of all the successive dynasties.

Modern times have been an unprecedented period for the creation of plum-reciting poetry and painting works, and the poems, lyrics, calligraphy and paintings about plum blossom can no longer be counted; among them, our country's proletarian revolutionaries, with an indomitable and unprecedented spirit and bearing, added new highlights to plum blossom, while a large number of famous painters such as Qi Baishi and Xu Beihong displayed new charm and temperament for plum blossom through their respective brushes.

That is all for the knowledge about red plum. Today the price of red plum on the market is not cheap either, but red plum is extremely gorgeous and splendid when in bloom, and many people admire it greatly; friends who are interested can also try growing it themselves.