American Plum

Description

Now taking orders for fall 2025.

American Plum, Prunus americana, is a thicket forming native plum. The American Plum is one of several among the native plum species. These trees were once common in prairies and woodland clearings. They are now found most often in fence rows and along roadsides.

They are important to Honeybees and other pollinators because they bloom early in season and bloom heavily, giving a concentrated nectar and pollen source. The thick branchy growth is a preferred nesting site for many songbirds. Their sweet fruit is a favorite of people and fruit-loving birds, as well as other wildlife.

American Plums, like all native plums, are resistant to Black Knot, which is a fungal disease that affects most European and Japanese Plums. The fruits are small but tasty and make great jams and jellies. They ripen in August. They were grown as a semi-cultivated crop by Native Americans.

The tree grows as a suckering shrub and can reach 15′ to 25′ in height and can spread quite wide from root suckers. It can be controlled by mowing. An individual tree, contained by mowing sprouts, can grow to 25′ tall and 25′ wide with a flattened rounded profile, not unlike a Japanese Maple.

American Plums are one of the first flowering trees of spring, often blooming surprisingly early. A fresh breath of spring after a long cold winter.

We cannot ship Plums to CO, ID, WA, OR, or SC