Appearance
"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 tall. The flowers are 2–2.5 cm 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. The drupe is 2–3 cm 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.Naming
The scientific name combines the Latin prūnus and the obsolete Japanese 梅. The plant is known by a number of different names in English, including Chinese plum and Japanese apricot. An alternative name is "ume" or "mume". Another alternative name is "mei".The flower is known as the "meihua" 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.
In Chinese it is called "mei" and the fruit is called "meizi". The Japanese name is "ume", while the Korean name is "maesil". 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".In Vietnam, due to the beauty of the tree and its flowers, the word "mai" is used to name girls. The largest hospital in Hanoi is named Bạch Mai, another hospital in Hanoi is named Mai Hương, situated in Hồng Mai street. Hoàng Mai is the name of a district in Hanoi. Bạch Mai is also a long and old street in Hanoi. All these places are located in the south part of Hanoi, where, in the past, many "P. mume" trees were grown.
Cultural
Plum blossoms have been well loved and celebrated across East Asia, and in Vietnam of Southeast Asia."Clustering Chinese Plum Blossoms" by Ming painter Chen Lu, Hunan Provincial Museum collection
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