Prunus cerasifera

Cherry plum

Family: Rosaceae · Type: tree · Not Native

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

Cherry plum is a naturalized tree found in southern North Coast Ranges, northern Sierra Nevada Foothills, Central Coast, and San Francisco Bay Area in roadsides, streambanks, and chaparral at elevations below 1,000 meters. Flowering from February to March, this tree produces delicate white flowers 7 to 14 millimeters long in small clusters or individually. Growing 4 to 8 meters tall with a deciduous habit, it develops spreading branches without thorns. Its leaves are elliptic to obovate, 30 to 70 millimeters long with crenate-serrate edges, having an obtuse base and acute to obtuse tip. The fruit is a small, glossy drupe 15 to 30 millimeters long, ranging in color from yellow to red with a fleshy pulp.

Habitat: Roadsides, streambanks, chaparral as waif

Bloom period: Feb-Mar

Elevation: < 1000 m

Bioregions: s NCoR, n SNF, CCo, SnFrB

California counties: San Bernardino, Tulare, San Luis Obispo, Mendocino, Sutter, Monterey, Alameda, San Mateo, Riverside, Amador, Placer, Marin, Napa, Nevada, San Francisco, Sonoma, Solano, Butte, Contra Costa, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Mariposa

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.