How can I identify this type of fruit tree?

Question

I have looked at several websites and cant find anything that is close to this type of tree. The fruit is the size of cherries, has a plum taste with a sour after-taste, but it doesn't fit the description of either. The fruit has a pit, is yellow/green. I live in Washington State, if that will help. The fruit is ripe right now in midsummer. (July/August) It also doesn't look like a persimmons because it doesn't have the leaves at the top like tomatoes or whatever. Can anyone help?

Answer 1

That sounds like a Ume Plum (Prunus mume).  They are grown commonly found in China and Japan.  Each fruit is round with a groove running from the stalk to the tip. The skin is green when unripe, and turns yellow, sometimes with a red blush, as it ripens. The flesh becomes yellow.  It would not surprise me that they would be in the NW US, as the climate there is very similar to parts of Asia and it could be imported.

Hope that helps you out!

Answer 2

If the leaves of the tree are dark red then that is a cherry tree, it's just different from the kind of cherries your used to seeing at the grocery store.

Answer 3

Could you take a picture?  It sounds like some sort of plum (there's loads of them).