Being refined can be a desirable quality. It reflects a process in which the best possible features have been distilled and are on display.
With this refining process there are traits which are suppressed and sometimes lost forever. While these lost characteristics are rarely missed in today’s homogenized existence, their absence lends a consistent repetitiveness to the environment which removes the potential for some pleasant, if unusual, surprises.
Even so, panhandle Florida has many natural surprises for anyone adventurous enough to seek out and try some of the native fruit varieties. Sparkleberries and wild plums are currently fruiting and will be ripening in the coming weeks.
Native plums are ripening and soon to be red and yellow. Some are sweet and some are tart, but all can be used.
Both species are native to the area and once provided earlier residents with the basis for many pints of homemade jelly and other family-based recipe favorites. Self-reliance and limited resources dictated the use of these seasonally available flavor treats.
Children on summer vacation would search the forest and field edges for these natural taste delights. It was always more fun to seek out a source of sweet fruit than to stick with the required chores.
Sparkleberries have had some success transitioning to contemporary landscapes. The erect structure of the plant and the showy white blooms make it an attractive specimen which contrasts well to other foliage.
Additionally, it has a low allergenic rating, an important feature for those who suffer from hay fever and are seeking an early blooming specimen around the home site. The March blooming period is also a favorite of honeybees.
The Chickasaw Plum, Cherokee plum and Florida sand plum are some of the names used to identify the native plum species. Like the sparkleberry, it blooms early and is an important source of nectar and pollen for bees, wasps and other insects.
It is an excellent plant to attract a variety of smaller butterflies to a landscape, and specifically hairstreak butterflies. It is also a source of nutrition for a variety of wildlife and birds.
Unfortunately, it serves as a host to some pests, a fact which encourages the removal of this native from a variety of residential situations. Plum curculio, a destructive insect, is the most serious peach pest in north Florida and flourishes where wild plums are common.
Wild plums may also harbor Xylella fastidiosa, the causal agent of phony peach disease in peaches and plum leaf scald in non-native plums. This bacterium is found in Florida’s wild plum trees, but causes no observable damage to the native plums.
The recommendation for commercial production of peaches or plums is to remove any native plums within 400 yards of the orchard. The suggestion for hobby orchards or dooryard peach or plum trees is to follow the same protocol.
This disease can also be transmitted from wild plums to the peach trees by leafhoppers. It results in tree dwarfing, distorted small fruit, and poor fruit production.
The leafhoppers are strong flyers and are impossible to control with insecticides. The only efficient way to control the disease is to remove the native wild plums.
So for those in commercial fruit production and home orchards, it comes down to one question. Is it best to be refined, or to go wild?
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