North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Mark Angermayer" <hangermayer@isp.com>]

I had some kin call and tell me their red leafed ornamental plum is fruiting, currently about golf ball size.  My first inclination is they were actually sold a fruiting variety instead of an ornamental.  However, I wanted to ask, are there some ornamental plums that will occasionally produce golf ball sized fruit?  I suppose it is possible to mutate back to a fruiting variety.  If it does happen, how common?  They wanted to know if the fruit was safe to eat.  Obviously if it truly is a plum (I haven't seen the tree) it's safe, but are there any poisonous fruits that look like plums?

 

Mark

KS