The Briançon plum tree

Not far from the Cabane de Chouvet, some small trees grow which are covered in white flowers in the springtime. This is the Briançon plum tree. Later in the year, it will produce golden plums with a tart flavour, carried on a very short stalk. A species endemic to the southwestern Alps, it has been prized by man because the kernel inside its stone produced a very fine oil, called huile de marmotte (marmot oil).