Prunus cerasifera

The cherry plum is in the Rose or Rosaceae family and is native to southwestern Europe and western Asia. As a shrub or small tree, it can grow to 12 m tall.

• Leaves are deciduous, ovate, 3–7 cm long, glabrous. It is one of the first European trees to flower in spring, often starting in mid-February before the leaves have opened.
• Flowers are white or pale pink and about 2 cm across, with five petals and many stamens.
• Fruit is an edible drupe, 2–3 cm in diameter, ripening to yellow or red from early July to mid-September. They are self-fertile but can also be pollinated by other Prunus varieties such as the Victoria plum.
• The plant propagates by seed or by suckering, and is often used as the rootstock for other Prunus species and cultivars.
• Numerous cultivars have been developed, many of them selected for purple foliage, such as the purple-leaf plum (P. cerasifera var pissardii).


Contributors

• Randy Whitbread