Prunus mume

Prunus mume, also known as Chinese plum, is a tree species in the family Rosaceae. It is also referenced by its flowers as plum blossom. Although referred to as a plum in English, it is classified in the Armeniaca section of the genus Prunus, making it an apricot. Mei flowers, or meihua (梅花), which bloom in the late winter and early spring, notably during the spring festival (春節), symbolize endurance, as they are the first to bloom despite the cold; the flower is one of the Three Friends of Winter.

The plant is intimately associated with art, literature, and everyday life in China, from where it was then introduced to Korea, Vietnam, and Japan. In East Asian cuisine (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese cuisine), the fruit, known as meizi (梅子) in Chinese, is used in juices and sauces; as a flavoring for alcohol; and may be pickled or dried. It is also used in traditional Chinese medicine. Meihua are also appreciated for their characteristic fragrance, which is unique among apricots.

Prunus mume should not be confused with the plum Prunus salicina, a related species also grown in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, nor with the common apricot Prunus armeniaca, which is closely related under the same section.

Prunus mume originated in the region around the Yangtze River in southern China and was cultivated domestically for both its ornamental beauty and its fruit. It was later introduced to Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. It can be found in sparse forests, stream sides, forested slopes along trails, and mountains, sometimes at altitudes up to 1,700–3,100 m (5,600–10,200 ft), and regions of cultivation.

Prunus mume is a deciduous tree that starts to flower in mid-winter, typically around January until late February in East Asia. It can grow to 4–10 m (13–33 ft) tall. The flowers are 2–2.5 cm (0.79–0.98 in) in diameter and have a strong fragrant scent. They have colors in varying shades of white, pink, and red. The leaves appear shortly after the petals fall, are oval-shaped with a pointed tip, and are 4–8 cm long and 2.5–5 cm wide. The fruit ripens in early summer, around June and July in East Asia, and coincides with the East Asian rainy season, the meiyu (梅雨, "plum rain"). The drupe is 2–3 cm (0.79–1.18 in) in diameter with a groove running from the stalk to the tip. The skin turns yellow, sometimes with a red blush, as it ripens, and the flesh becomes yellow. The tree is cultivated for its fruit and flowers.

Native to southern China, where it is known as mei (梅). The scientific name combines the Latin prūnus ("(European) plum tree") and the obsolete Japanese pronunciation of 梅 (mume), which is ultimately likely derived from Middle Chinese. The plant is known by a number of different names in English, including flowering plum or plum blossoms. Another misnomer, Japanese apricot, likely derives from the plant's introduction into Western knowledge by Philipp Franz von Siebold, who encountered it while living in Japan.

The flower is known as the meihua (梅花) in Chinese, which came to be translated as "plum blossom" or sometimes as "flowering plum". The term "winter plum" may be used too, specifically with regard to the depiction of the flower with its early blooming in Chinese painting.^{[citation needed]} The character 梅 is a phono-semantic compound created by combining the semantic component 木 ("tree") with the phonetic component 每 (literally meaning "every," pronounced /*mɯːʔ/ in Old Chinese, which was similar to /*mɯː/ for "plum").

In Chinese, it is called mei (梅) and the fruit is called meizi (梅子). The Japanese name is ume (うめ), while the Korean name is maesil (Korean: 매실; Hanja: 梅實). The Japanese and Korean terms derive from Middle Chinese, in which the pronunciation is thought to have been muəi. The Vietnamese name is mai or mơ (although mai vàng refers to a different plant, Ochna integerrima, in southern Vietnam).^{[citation needed]}