Episode 15: Ghostly Blooms & A Cat Pee Scented Cure-All - Oregon Plums

Apr 12

Hello there, and welcome to another bonus episode of Rooted! This week we are talking about a tree native to the Pacific northwest region of the United states- a living embodiment of “girls rule, boys drool” the oregon plum.

Okay, so these little cuties are scientifically known as Oemleria cerasiformis, but are also known as oso berries . It is a member of the rose family that grows anywhere from 8 to 20 feet tall. It is a deciduous shrub that grows from suckers OR seed- just like raspberries and roses.

They have small green oval-shaped leaves, and green-ish white flowers that grow in clusters from February-April. Around June, if pollination was successful, you’ll start to see tons of little green olive-y looking fruits popping up all over the place. As the season goes on, they will turn a bright salmon-y pink, before finally fading to a dark reddish purple.

While the fruits aren’t MASSIVE, or particularly tasty raw, they play a super vital role in their ecosystems, with critters like birds, rabbits, and even coyotes nibbling on them as they gear up for winter.

They like to grow in areas with acidic, nutrient rich, and moist but well draining soil. They don’t mind full sun, but would prefer a little shade, and need a decent amount of water, just like any other fruit tree!

A fun fact about this plant? It is SUPER Fragrant- but no one can really nail down what it smells like…another botanical mystery for our collective brains!

One thing everyone seemed fairly aligned on- the leaves smell like cucumber when crushed, which is honestly just so delightful- especially in early spring when summer still feels eons away.

But here is the weird part- some sources are saying all of the blooms just smell like almonds….which is lovely, but not NEARLY as interesting as this next part……

Some people say these blooms smell like watermelon rinds, and others are saying it is straight up cat pee….. But my personal favorite take? Female blooms smell like watermelon rinds, male blooms smell like cat pee…I just love that that’s a real compromise/ theory we have for these guys!

Before we dive into the uses, you KNOW I have to tell you a quick story- this one is actually the entire reason this episode even exists

Recently on a trip to Washington, our tour guide told us about Chief Seattle and his daughter, Kikisablu (Kick-is-om-lo)- who is also called Princess Angeline. But that was a name given to her by white settlers, so we will be referring to her by her real name- Kikisablu

Upon her birth, chief Seattle planted a beautiful white plum tree in her honor. It was a beautiful tree- especially in the spring, when it’s bright white flowers would bring a pop of color and light back to the very dreary days of winter.

As time went on, and after the treaty of elliot bay when all of the Duwamish people were forced to leave the city, the tree had no one properly looking out for it. It stopped blooming, and while it wasn’t outright dying, it certainly wasn’t happy. The blooms everyone looked forward to season after season had stopped coming around, and the people of Seattle started to think they would never come back.

After a few years of this, a prominent pike’s place worker, who was known for her love of the color purple, tragically passed away. She LOVED kikisablu’s tree so much, that she actually requested that her ashes be spread under it- close to the market she loved, and under a tree that had brought her + countless others years of joy.

Her friends did spread her ashed under the tree, and oddly enough- it began to bloom! But this time the blooms were;nt white, but a very light purple.

As the years went on lots of pikes place workers would ask to have their ashes buried under the tree- so many in fact, that when the time came to replace the tree, its reported that ther were tons of small boxes, all containing the ashes of workers who had passed, buried at the base of the tree.

Today, in the place of the white plum is a Japanese maple. If I had to guess, I would venture to say that the tree was replaced due to its age, and declining health, But, I’m not an expert, and I really couldn’t find much about this story online. It is mentioned casually in a few interviews, but overall it seems like this story has been passed on primarily by word of mouth, which makes it an even more fun tale to tell.

As a side note here, I don’t actually KNOW that the tree in this story was an oregon plum, but based on my research into the Duwamish and Suquamish people’s relationship with nature, AND considering it was the early 1800’s, it just seems like the most likely thing chief seattle would have planted. I don’t see him selecting a non-native tree to plant to celebrate the birth of his child. My best guess is that it would have been a female Oregon plum, as they not only have more (and potentially better smelling) blooms, but they also have a higher mortality rate, which would help explain its reported health issues.

Okay, now let’s dive into the flavor of the fruit- apparently it can be pretty sour and bitter, with an almond-y after taste if eaten before actually ripe. But apparently, these guys are worth the wait! Once ripened, they are said to have a deep black cherry flavor with hints of melon! Perfect for a refreshing addition to any dish or drink during those dog days of summer.

But the Oregon plum isn't JUST tasty, it also has plenty of uses in traditional medicine. Apparently the bark is mildly laxative, which made it great for dealing with tummy troubles of all sorts, plus, an extract made from a few different parts of the plant was used as an early treatment for tuberculosis.

On top of that parts of the oregon plum would be chewed or otherwise mashed up with oil, then rubbed on certain parts of the body to treat a various aches and pains.

Today, we aren’t really using these native fruit trees for a ton, but there is a big push to start re-incorporating our native plants back into the landscape, so I won’t be surprised to see them popping up more and more.

If you live in an area with Oregon plums, I hope this year you’ll take some time to harvest a few, and maybe make a tasty drink! If you do, please tell me all about it- and take special note of how the blooms smell, I am dying to know!

Write a quick note here about things going on with the show! This was written as part of the episode stockpile, to be used in a moment where future me needs some help! Don’t ever say past Em doesn't do nice things for you…

Sources: https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=358529

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Angeline

https://www.legendsofamerica.com/wa-pikemarket/

https://suquamish.nsn.us/home/about-us/faqs/

https://suquamish.nsn.us/suquamish-museum/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duwamish_people

https://www.duwamishtribe.org/education

https://www.portseattle.org/blog/dig-native-plants-duwamish-river-peoples-park

https://www.mapquest.com/us/washington/princess-angeline-tree-472402556

https://nativeplantspnw.com/indian-plum-oemleria-cerasiformis/

Story credit to: https://www.thoughtfulcheftours.com/about-3- book with her if you want to do a spooky pike’s place tour!

https://nativeplantspnw.com/indian-plum-oemleria-cerasiformis/