Species of small tree or large shrub that probably originated in the region around the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea. According to the earliest writings in which the plum is mentioned, the species is at least 2,000 years old. It has a fruit that is a fleshy drupe of variable size, usually having purple, red, or yellow skin with a dull powdery bloom when ripe, a sweet pulp, and a flattish pointed stone.
