Japanese apricot

Prunus mume (Rosaceae), commonly called Japanese apricot, Chinese plum, or ume, is a small deciduous tree reaching 4-10 m, with grey-brown rough bark and slender green twigs. Leaves are alternate, ovate to elliptic, 4-8 cm long, with sharply serrate margins and acuminate tips. Flowers appear on bare wood in late winter to early spring, fragrant, 2-2.5 cm across, with five petals ranging from white through pink to deep red depending on cultivar, borne singly or in pairs. The drupe is globose, 2-3 cm in diameter, ripening yellow-green to yellow with a velvety pubescent skin and a single hard stone; the flesh is firm and intensely sour. Native to southern China, the tree has been cultivated for over 3000 years across China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Vietnam for ornamental flowering, fruit (umeboshi, plum wine, preserves), and medicinal use. It tolerates cold winters and prefers well-drained loamy soils in full sun.