Damson

Damson
Ripe damsons
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Prunus
Section: Prunus sect. Prunus
Species:
Subspecies:
P. d. subsp. insititia
Trinomial name
Prunus domestica subsp. insititia

The damson (/ˈdæmzən/), damson plum, or damascene (Prunus domestica subsp. insititia, sometimes Prunus insititia), is an edible drupaceous fruit, a subspecies of the plum tree. Varieties of insititia are found across Europe, but the name damson is derived from and most commonly applied to forms that are native to Great Britain. Damsons are small, ovoid, plum-like fruit with a distinctive, somewhat astringent taste, and are widely used for culinary purposes, particularly in fruit preserves and jams.

In South and Southeast Asia, the term damson plum sometimes refers to jamblang, the fruit from a tree in the family Myrtaceae. The name "mountain damson" or "bitter damson" was also formerly applied in Jamaica to the tree Simarouba amara. Terminalia microcarpa and Chrysophyllum oliviforme are also sometimes referred to as damson plums.