PSC 2620: Woody Trees and ShrubCourse HomeWeek 4

Prunus cerasifera - Flowering Plum

Plant Viewer
The leaves are ovate and finely serrated on the margin. Single pink flowers with five petals appear in the spring.
Small edible fruit ripens by the end of summer. The fruit is not persistent.

Plant Description

This tree is a commonly used ornamental tree or small sized shade tree (15 to 30 feet high and slightly narrower). Commonly known as the flowering plum, it is used primarily for its showy pink blossoms in spring and purple foliage throughout summer. Many of the popular varieties are very hardry, able to withstand extremely cold temperatures in the winter, as well as hot, dry conditions in the fall. While Dirr is quite negative about Prunus cerasifera, it is a good selection for our harsher climate, but is over-used in the landscape.

In the spring, small pink blossoms (less than an inch wide) appear in profusion all along young stems. The blossoms have a pleasant, but strong fragrance. The blooms appear before the leaves, which will begin to appear towards the end of the bloom period. The leaves are ovate, 1 1/2-2 1/2 inches long and arranged alternately along the stem. The margin of the leaf is finely serrated. Although the leaf color of the actual species is green, most of the commercially available cultivars are purple leaved.

Reddish-purple fruit ripens in the late summer and early fall. It is edible, and actually quite flavorful, but only 1 inch in diameter or smaller. Birds will pillage the fruit once it is ripe, but a sizable portion of it will still find its way to the ground.

Landscape Use

Use as a larger sized ornamental flowering tree. Its purple foliage provides an attractive accent in a shrub border, but loses its impact when several are put together. Think twice about using it in high foot-traffic areas because of the falling fruit.

Points of Interest

Iron chlorosis is particularly problematic in our climate, and may cause the tree to have orangish-red foliage during the summer.

Notable Cultivars

Mt. St. Helens A mutation of Newport, it is faster growing, faster to leaf out and more upright in its growth habit. The leaves are slightly larger and retain their purple color throughout the season better than other varieties of flowering plum. It reaches 20 feet high and wide.


Newport An old favorite thanks to its hardiness. The leaves emerge purple before fading slightly to a bronze-purple color. Its branching habit is very dense and even somewhat erratic. 18-20 feet high and wide.


Thundercloud Another purple leaf variety. Slightly more upright in its branching habit. It reaches 20 feet high and wide. .