Prunus Flowers

Although often grown for their fruit, these trees and shrubs are also grown for their ornamental flowers. Prunus trees and shrubs usually have five petals and five sepals on each flower, which are often white. Some varieties have been bred to have double flowers with many more petals. Successful pollination of many Prunus trees and shrubs requires two different varieties. Check with your local extension office for recommendations for your area, as sometimes specific varieties are unable to pollinate each other.

Prunus Fruits

Since they have fruit surrounding a stone (also known as a pit), Prunus trees and shrubs are categorized stone fruits, known scientifically as drupes. The fruits of Prunus can be classified according to how their pulp is formed around the stone.

Freestone fruits have flesh that pulls away easily from the pit, making them easy to eat fresh.Clingstone fruits have pulp that is fastened more firmly to the pit and can’t be pulled away without damage.

Problems

These trees and shrubs can be dangerous to plant if you have livestock. The foliage of many species is toxic to cud chewers such as goat and cattle. Birds love these fruit trees, which can be a double-edged sword. It’s great if you want to attract some avian friends to your yard but can be quite annoying if you’re trying to raise a fruit crop. There are quite a few pests and diseases that attack the various Prunus species, but there are both chemical and organic ways of controlling these problems.

Latin Name: Prunus dulcisNative to: Middle East and South AsiaUSDA Zones: 7 to 10Height: 30 feet tall. There are also dwarf and semi-dwarf cultivars available.Pollination: Requires cross-pollination. Pick varieties known to pollinate one another, as some varieties are incapable of this.

‘Butte’‘Carmel’‘Hall’s Hardy’ (lives up to the name and can be planted as far north as USDA hardiness zone 5)‘Mission’‘Nonpareil’‘Sonora’

Almonds are both eaten fresh and used in cooking. Ground almonds or almond meal and sugar are used to make marzipan, which is used in desserts and candies. Ground almonds can also be used to make almond butter, which is a spread similar to peanut butter. Some consider the almond to be a natural aphrodisiac for women.

Latin Name: Prunus armeniacaNative to: China, Japan, Korea, and KyrgyzstanUSDA Zones: 5 to 9Height: Most apricot varieties grow to be 10 to 20 feet tall.Pollination: Most varieties are able to pollinate themselves, so another variety is not necessary.

‘Canadian White Blenheim’‘Flavor Giant’‘Flora Gold’‘Nugget’‘Pixie-Cot’‘Wenatchee Moorpark’

Creamy white flowers 1/2 inch in diameter appear in the spring, just before the leaves appear. In addition to the use of its fruits in preserves and alcoholic drinks, this thorny plant is often used to form an impenetrable border barrier.

Latin Name: Prunus spinosaOther Common Names: SloeNative to: Europe, northwest Africa, and western AsiaUSDA Zones: 5 to 9Height: At its tallest, the blackthorn may be up to 16 feet tall.

Among the more interesting uses for blackthorn is in liqueurs and sloe gin recipes:

Alabama Slammer (Shooter)Pacharán—PatxaranPurple VikingSloe GinSloe Gin FizzSloe Screw

All parts of the cherry laurel except the fruit are poisonous. Do not plant these if you have cattle or sheep, as it is especially harmful to them and other ruminants. The fruit is rather flavorless to humans, but birds enjoy feasting on them. Creamy white flowers appear in April and May.

Latin Name: Prunus laurocerasusOther Common Names: English laurelNative to: Southeastern Europe and southwestern AsiaUSDA Zones: 6 to 9Height: The cherry laurel can be up to 30 feet tall, though it is often pruned to stay at a shorter height.

Another plant, the loquat, is also known as the Chinese plum, but it belongs to the Eriobotrya genus.

Latin Name: Prunus mumeOther common names: Japanese apricot, ume plum, and flowering apricotNative to: China and KoreaUSDA Zones: 6 to 9Height: 10 to 20 feet tall

The common name chokeberry is also used for another plant, Aronia spp., though it is an entirely different plant from Prunus virginiana.

Latin Name: Prunus virginianaOther Common Names: Virginia bird cherry and bitter-cherryNative to: North AmericaUSDA Zones: 2 to 7Height: 20 to 30 feet tall

Don’t plant this if you have horses, cows, or goats as it is poisonous for them. It is also poisonous for the other ruminants, such as deer, moose, and bison.

Latin Name: Prunus domesticaOther Common Names: Damson, common plum, Damask plum, and bullaceNative to: Western AsiaUSDA Zones: 5 to 8Height: Depending on the variety, the European plum will generally reach a height of 15 to 30 feet tall. Some cultivars, such as ‘Stanley’ remain less than 10 feet tall.Pollination: Many varieties of the European plum do not need a different variety for successful pollination. They cannot pollinate the Japanese plums.

‘Bavay’s Green Gage’‘Blue Damson’‘Brompton’‘Golden Transparent Gage’‘Stanley’

This species is often grafted onto the sweet cherry (Prunus avium). The flowers are white or pink and can be single or double. The tree will burst into bloom every spring and provide a spectacular show.

Latin Name: Prunus serrulataOther Common Names: Oriental cherry, hill cherry, East Asian cherry, and Japanese cherryNative to: China, Korea, and JapanUSDA Zones: 5 to 8Height: The Japanese flowering cherry will grow 15 to 40 feet tall, depending on the variety chosen.

‘Amonogawa’‘Kwanzan’‘Shirofugen’‘Ukon’

The loquat is also sometimes called a Japanese plum. While it is in the same family (Rosaceae), it is in an entirely different genus (Eriobotrya japonica).

Latin Name: Prunus salicinaOther Common Names: Blood plum and Chinese plumNative to: ChinaUSDA Zones: 5 -to 9Height: The tree height depends on the variety and may reach more than 30 feet tall.Pollination: Plant a second variety of Japanese plum for proper pollination. You cannot use a European plum for pollinating a Japanese plum.

‘Bubblegum’‘Crimson Beauty’‘Ozark Premier’‘Santa Rosa’‘Satsuma’

Showy pink flowers appear in April, making this plant valuable both as a landscape specimen and as a source of fruit. If you don’t harvest the fruit yourself, it will attract many birds.

Latin Name: Prunus persica var. nectarina. Some use nucipersica as the variety.Native to: Likely AsiaUSDA Zones: 5 to 9Height: The exact height will change by variety, but the nectarine tree can be up to 20 feet tall.Pollination: Nectarine tree varieties will not need a separate pollinator.

‘Arctic Rose’ (white)‘Fantasia’ (yellow)‘Goldmine’ (white)‘Independence’ (yellow)‘Red Gold’ (yellow)‘Summer Beaut’ (yellow)

Latin Name: Prunus serrulaOther Common Names: Birchbark cherry and Tibetian cherryNative to: Western ChinaUSDA Zones: 5 to 8Height: 20 to 30 feet tall

Unfortunately, there are a lot of pests and diseases that you might encounter if you plant peaches in your yard. Peach leaf curl is caused by the Taphrina deformans fungus and has the potential for serious damage. Other bacteria and fungal diseases may attack. Pests may include aphids, borers, Japanese beetles, scales, spider mites, and tent caterpillars. Each peach variety will have a chilling hour requirement, which is the amount of cold weather they need for proper fruiting.

Latin Name: Prunus persicaNative to: ChinaUSDA Zones: 5 to 9Height: There are dwarf, semi-dwarf, and standard peach varieties that can be up to 35 feet tall.Pollination: You will not need a different variety, as most peach varieties are able to pollinate themselves.

‘Contender’ (yellow freestone)‘Crimson Rocket’ (upright yellow freestone)‘EarliGlo’ (yellow freestone)‘Elberta’ (yellow freestone)‘Ernie’s Choice’ (yellow freestone)‘Klondike White’ (white semi-freestone)‘Lady Nancy’ (white freestone)‘Rich Lady’ (yellow clingstone)‘Topaz’ (yellow freestone)

Zaiger’s Genetics has created several of these crosses and has secured trademarked names for them. These new cultivars are the results of several generations of crossing. They include:

Apriums. This is the cross of apricot and plum and resembles apricots more than plums.Nectaplums. These are the result of crossing nectarines and plums.Nectarcots. These are produced when nectarines are crossed with apricots.Peacotums. These occur after peaches, apricots, and plums are bred together.Pluots. These are the same cross with the plum characteristics being more prominent. Pluots are marketed in stores with clever names such as “Dinosaur Eggs.”

This plant is normally grown for its burgundy foliage, though the white flowers appearing in April are also attractive. The fruit is not particularly useful for cooking, but this is a great plant for gardeners who want to bring birds to their yards. But unfortunately, it’s also a favorite of the Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica).

Latin Name: Prunus x cistenaOther Common Names: Purpleleaf sandcherry, purple leaf sandcherry, and purpleleaf sand cherryNative to: This is a cross of two plants. The sandcherry is from the northeastern United States and the purple leaf plum is from Western Asia and Europe.USDA Zones: 2 to 8Height: 7 to 10 feet tall

Plan on this tree living for no more than about 20 years, as it is susceptible to several pests and diseases.

Latin Name: Prunus cerasiferaOther Common Names: Myrobalan plum, cherry plum, and purple leaf plumNative to: Europe and western AsiaUSDA Zones: 4 to 9Height: 15 to 25 feet tall

Make sure you choose a location that does not have wet soil, which can encourage diseases and other problems.

Latin Name: Prunus cerasusOther Common Names: Pie cherry and tart cherryNative to: Europe and southwest AsiaUSDA Zones: 4 to 7Height: Sour cherries can grow up to 50 feet tall, but they are usually pruned and kept at 12 to 15 feet tall.Pollination: Sour cherries are self-fertile and a second variety is not necessary.

‘Balaton’‘Danube’‘Early Richmond’‘English Morello’‘Jubileum’‘Meteor’‘Montmorency’‘Northstar’‘Schattenmorelle’

Plant in a location with soil that is well-draining, as soil that is too moist will cause problems such as rots and cankers. This tree’s attractive white flowers appearing in early spring make it a viable landscape specimen, and it is one of the few Prunus species that also makes a good shade tree. You will need to use nets, reflective strips, owl statues, or other methods of deterring birds, as they will gobble up your sweet cherries before you get a chance to harvest them.

Latin Name: Prunus aviumOther Common Names: Wild cherry, bird cherry, gean, and Mazzard cherryNative to: Europe, Turkey, western Asia, and northwest AfricaUSDA Zones: Depends on the variety, from 3 to 9Height: Sweet cherries grow up to 35 feet tall. They are usually pruned to be 12 to 15 feet tall in the landscape. There are also dwarf and semi-dwarf varieties available.Pollination: You will need a different cherry variety for successful pollination. Check with your extension office for suggested matches as not all will pollinate your variety.

‘Bing’‘Hudson’‘Lambert’‘Lapins’‘Rainier’‘Regina’‘Ulster’

The flowers come in shades of white or pink, depending on the variety. There are double-flowering varieties available, such as the ‘Pendula Plena Rosea’.

Latin Name: Prunus subhirtella ‘Pendula’ and ‘Pendula Rubra’Other Common Names: Weeping cherry tree, spring cherry, and rosebud cherryNative to: JapanUSDA Zones: 5 to 8Height: 20 to 40 feet tall

The fruits are used in wines, jellies, and as a flavoring for brandy, ice creams, and sodas. You’ll have to pick them right when they ripen; otherwise, birds will quickly eat the entire crop. This is a favorite treat of eastern tent caterpillars (Malacosoma americanum), which will munch away on the leaves. It’s usually not a serious problem and the tree will not be permanently damaged. Livestock such as goats and cattle can be poisoned by the wild cherry, so don’t plant them near these animals.

Latin Name: Prunus serotinaOther Common Names: Black cherry, rum cherry, mountain wild cherry, and wild black cherryNative to: North AmericaUSDA Zones: 4 to 9Height: 40 to 90 feet tall