Cherry plum
Cherries and plums are closely related fruits. An in-between type of fruit is the cherry plum, which is actually a small plum belonging to the same genus (Prunus) as cherry and plum.
This page provides basic information on cherry plum, together with some cherry plum photographs and some proverbs about cherries and plums.
Basic information on cherry plum
| Scientific name: | Prunus cerasifera |
| English: | Cherry plum Myrobalan plum |
| Dutch: | Kerspruim Kroos |
| Spanish: | Ciruelo de jardín Ciruelo mirobolano Ciruelo-cerezo |
| French: | Myrobolan Prunier myrobalan Prunier-cerise |
| German: | Kirschpflaume Myrobalane |
| Italian: | Amolo Mirabolano Rusticano |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Origin: | |
| Distribution: | Cherry plums are found in Europe, Asia and North America. |
| Evergreen or deciduous: | Deciduous |
| Flowers: | Flowers of the cherry plum appear very early in spring, often already in February. Flowers are white or pinkish-white with 5 petals and with a diameter of about 2 cm. |
| Leaves: | Cherry plum leaves are oval with a pointed tip and about 4 to 6 cm long. |
| Fruits: | Fruits of the cherry plum resemble cherries or like small plums. They are round, with a diameter of 2 to 3 cm and the color is red or yellow. Each fruit contains one big seed. |
| Climate and weather: | Cherry plums grow in temperate regions of Europe, Asia and North America. |
| Pollination: | Flowers of cherry plum are hermaphodite. They are pollinated by bees. |
| Height: | Cherry plums are shrubs or small trees with an open crown. They can be 6 to 15 meters tall. |
| Blooming period | Cherry plum flowers appear very early in spring. |
| Type of soil: | Cherry plums like fertile, moist but well drained soils. |
| Preferred pH: | ? |
| Moisture: | ? |
| Light: | Cherry plums can be grown in the sun or light shade. Sunny conditions are good for fruit production. |
| Growth rate: | |
| Spacing | To produce fruits, cherry plums can be 3 meters to 4.5 meters apart. The cherry plum can be also grown for hedges of about 1.5 meter high when planting the trees about 60cm apart. |
| Propagation: | To maintain the quality of a good variety the cherry plum has to be propagated by vegetative methods such as layering or hardwood cuttings. |
| Insect pests: | Sometimes Aphids or Scales can attack the cherry plum. |
| Diseases: | Diseases of cherry plum include leaf spot and canker. |
| Fruit development: | |
| Harvesting: | Ripe cherry plums are hand picked. |
| Uses: | Cherry plums can be eaten fresh. Varieties with a more sour taste are often used to prepare jams. |
Cherry plum photos
Proverbs about cherries and plums
- A black plum is as sweet as a white.
- A cherry year, a merry year; a plum year, a dumb year.
- If heaven above lets fall a plum, open your mouth.
- Receive a plum, return a peach.
- The higher the tree, the sweeter the plum
- There's no making apples of plums.
- You need plant only one cherry and one plum tree.
Cherry plum quotes
- Who can help me with some quotes about the cherry plum?
Recipes
Please send me a message if you have a recipe with cherry plums.