Day 172: If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you may know this shrub as "Indian Plum,"although that name is slowly giving way to the preferred term, "Osoberry." It is unique in that it is the sole member of the genus Oemleria; no kith, no kin, no cousins except at a great distance where it joins the subfamily of Amygdaloideae and thence enters the family Rosaceae along with true plums and other fruits, as well as roses and cotoneasters. Oemleria cerasiformis is a stone fruit, as anyone who has ever tried to suck any edible sustenance off one of its thinly skinned pits can attest. The flesh is nearly non-existent and rather puckery on the tongue. One might do better to harvest the leaves and/or bark for tea, leaving the purple "plums" to the birds. I've heard that the wood is fine-grained and strong, and suitable for making knitting needles, bobbins and small carvings. Hmmm...I feel a project coming into fruit.
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