Scientific Name:
Prunus cerasifera
cvs.
Pronunciation:
PROO-nus sair-uh-SIFF-ur-uh
Common Name:
purple plum
Family Name:
Rosaceae
Plant Type:
Tree - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Leaves alternate, most blades elliptic, 4-7(-9)cm long x 2-4(-5)cm wide, margin serrate, dark red, petioles 1-1.5cm long; flowers, 2-2.5cm wide, pink buds, white petals, in early spring before foliage; drupes oval-round 2-3cm long, dark red, Aug. Winter ID: Small tree with open, rounded crown to 10m tall; buds alternate, red, oblong, pointed; twigs dark red.
Habit:
Spreading, Upright
Form:
Round
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
7 - 10m
Mature Spread:
7 - 10m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Central / west Asia, Europe, Garden origin
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Accent plant, Attract beneficial insects, Shade tree, Specimen plant, Spring interest, Street (boulevard tree), Urban agriculture
Additional Info:
Most images are of P. 'Pissardii' (larger dark red leaves that turn purple; flowers white from pink buds). Other purple leaf cultivars include
P. 'Atropurpurea',
P. 'Crimson Pointe' (columnar),
P. 'Krauter Vesuvius' (emerge deep red in spring, mature to dark reddish-purple),
P. 'Newport'(leaves emerge bronze-purple, mature to dark purple, reddish in fall),
P. 'Nigra' (dark purple-black leaves),
P. 'Purple Pony' (dwarf), and
P. 'Thundercloud" (bright red foliage that darkens purple).
Many hybrid cultivars involving bird or sweet cherry also exist.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Summer:
Purple, Dark-red
Colour in Fall:
Red
Shapes:
Elliptic
Apices:
Acuminate, Acute
Bases:
Cuneate
Margins:
Serrate
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers solitary, Floriferous
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Pink
Flower Scent:
Fragrant
Flower Time at Peak:
Mar, Apr
Fruit Type:
Drupe, Edible
Fruit Colour:
Yellow, Red
Fruiting Time:
Aug
Additional Info:
Not showy, Edible, scanty fruit production most years locally and difficult to spot until fallen as the leaves are same colour
Bark or Stem Colour:
Brown
Leaf Bud Type:
Oblong
Leaf Scar Shape:
Crescent shaped
Organ Modifications:
Stipule, leafy, Stipule, pointy spines, Spiny stipules not always present
Propagation:
Softwood cuttings
Pest Susceptibility:
Aphids or adelgids, Beetles or weevils, Blight or needle cast, Caterpillar or cutworm, Fungal leaf spot, Heteroptera - true bugs, Mildew, Mites, Root rot, Scale insects (Rabbit resistant)
Course(s):
- HORT 1155
Location(s):
- (BUG) BUG garden : cv. Pissardii, 156, 167
- (WLG) WoodLand Garden : cv. Pissardii