cherry plum

Photo: An-d — CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Survives zone 4 through 8

Harvest calendar

Best planted in early spring after your last frost, or in fall before the ground freezes, depending on your climate.

Fruit ranges from sweet-tart to fully sweet depending on the seedling or cultivar and is eaten fresh or made into jam — though most garden forms, especially purple-leaved ones, are grown chiefly for foliage and blossom rather than for eating. ⚠ Kernels/pits cyanogenic.

Spread warning. Considered a mildly invasive weed of bushland near urban centers in southeastern Australia, and naturalized in the British Isles and scattered parts of North America.

Hardiness

Zone 4–8

Habit

Tree

Edible part

Fruit

Ripens

Summer–autumn

Mature size

Small tree 6–10 m

Light

Full sun; tolerates partial

Soil pH

6.0–7.0 (near-neutral)

Environment

Temperate

Native range

Native to southeastern Europe, western Asia, and the Caucasus.

Status

Cultivated

Years to fruit

2–4 yrs

Growth speed

30–60 cm/year while young

Spacing

600 cm (236 in) apart — about 36 m² (388 sq ft) per plant

Leaf shape

Ovate, elliptic, or obovate, finely serrated and pointed, bright green above and paler below, 4–6 cm long.

Root system

Vigorously suckering and spreading.

Fruit description

Rounded drupe about 2.5 cm across, slightly bloomy skin in yellow, orange, red, or deep purple, with a small stone.

Propagation

Widely used itself as a rootstock for plums and other Prunus; propagated by seed, root suckers, or budding/grafting for named cultivars.

Pollination

Self-fertile, though cross-pollination with another Prunus nearby improves fruit set

The edible parts listed above are a starting point, not a field guide. Identify a plant with certainty — ideally against a local authority — before eating any part of it, and read the full disclaimer. Spotted something wrong? Report it.