Purple Leaf Plum
Prunus cerasifera
About it
- Kind
- Trees · Perennial
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Mature size
- to 22.5 ft × 20 ft
- Hardiness zones
- Zones 5–8
- Sun
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 144 in apart
- Soil depth in a pot
- At least 20 in
- Water
- About every 4 days
ⓘ We don't know this plant's soil pH and feeding needs yet.
When to plant
We don't have planting times for Purple Leaf Plum yet.
Planting partners
No cited companion planting notes for Purple Leaf Plum yet.
Safety for pets and children
- Cats Listed as a problem for cats (NC State Extension) — Medium severity; in the leaves, seeds and stems; toxic principle: Cyanogenic glycosides
- Dogs Listed as a problem for dogs (NC State Extension) — Medium severity; in the leaves, seeds and stems; toxic principle: Cyanogenic glycosides
- Horses Listed as a problem for horses (NC State Extension) — Medium severity; in the leaves, seeds and stems; toxic principle: Cyanogenic glycosides
- Children No information in our sources
If a pet or child eats part of this plant, call your vet or poison control.
Read from NC State Extension ↗.
"No information" means our sources do not say, not that the plant is harmless. A non-toxic listing is not a reason to let anyone eat a plant.
Pests and diseases
No pest or disease notes for Purple Leaf Plum yet.
Check the label and your local extension service before using any product.
Where this comes from
- annual growth in NC State Extension ↗ Inside the moderate band (12-24) and implies about 15 years to the height below, which is how an ornamental plum is described
- category NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox Plant Type: Tree
- climate requirement NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox USDA Plant Hardiness Zone: 5a-8b
- edible NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox Edibility: "The fruits are edible and are used in tarts or jellies." Display/Harvest Time: Summer. The PITS are the poisonous part, not the flesh
- family npgsweb.ars-grin.gov ↗ GRIN page: Prunus cerasifera Ehrh.
- growth rate NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox Growth Rate: Medium
- life cycle NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox Life Cycle reads "Woody"; recorded as perennial, as every tree in the catalogue is
- mature height in NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox Height: 15 ft - 30 ft; midpoint 22.5 ft
- mature spread in NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox Width: 15 ft - 25 ft; midpoint 20 ft
- min soil depth in NC State Extension ↗ Derived by 0039's method, banded by mature height against the catalogue's Plum and Apple, both 20 in
- space requirement NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox "Available Space To Plant: 12-24 feet"; low end, as a minimum. Rows equal plants
- species NC State Extension ↗
- sunlight NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox Light: Full sun and Partial Shade; the brighter of the two
- toxicity NC State Extension ↗ toxic for cat, dog, horse from the page's "Problem for" listing. Severity, parts and principle are the page's poison characteristics for the whole plant.
- water frequency days NC State Extension ↗ Handbook ch. 11's twice-a-week establishment watering, rendered as every 4 days. Generic to newly planted trees and shrubs
- years to bearing UMN Extension ↗ UMN: "Expect to get fruit 2 to 5 years after planting if you plant a 1 or 2-year-old tree" -- a figure for stone fruit generally, not for P. cerasifera, and the same 4 the catalogue's existing Plum row carries