Prunus vachuschtii

Prunus vachuschtii is a species of plum that is native to the Caucasus region. in Georgia, Prunus vachuschtiiis called by its common name: ალუჩა.

Uses
In Georgia, it is usually eaten by hand and is used to make tkemali, a tart sauce for meat dishes. Although it is probably conspecific with Prunus cerasifera, the cherry plum (in ტყემალი), Georgians distinguish the two botanically and culinarily. In the Caucasus, P. vachuschtii tends to be found from Caspian sea level up to 500–700m and P. cerasifera tends to be found at higher elevations, up to 1600–1800m.

Classification
N. N. Bregadze, who was apparently quite the splitter, described the species in 1976, and identified three forms; Prunus vachuschtii f. imeretinea, P. v. f. meczibuche, and P. v. f. vachuschtii.