Prunus subcordata
Pacific plum, sierra plum, Sierra Plum
(c) Tim Messick, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Tim Messick · licence
Family: Rosaceae · Type: Shrub / Tree · Native
Prunus subcordata (Pacific plum) is a native California shrub / tree in the Rosaceae family, recognized by umbel-like flower clusters, subcordate leaf bases, and plum-like fruits.
Pacific plum is a California native shrub found in northwestern California, the Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, central western California, and the Modoc Plateau in mixed-evergreen or conifer forest at elevations of 100 to 1,900 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces white flowers in small umbel-like clusters with 2 to 5 blossoms, each petal 5 to 10 millimeters long. Growing as a shrub less than 3 meters tall, often forming dense thickets with slight thorny characteristics, it develops a compact and somewhat sprawling form. Its deciduous leaves are oblong-ovate to nearly round, 20 to 50 millimeters long with finely serrated edges, featuring a rounded to slightly heart-shaped base and obtuse to rounded tips. The fruit is a small fleshy drupe 15 to 25 millimeters long, ranging in color from yellow to dark red when ripe.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 11 sympatric species; key features are umbel-like flower clusters, subcordate leaf bases, and plum-like fruits
Habitat and range
Habitat: Mixed-evergreen or conifer forest
Elevation: 100-1900 m
California counties: Sonoma, Sierra, Lake, Placer, Modoc, Fresno, Tulare, Napa, Santa Clara, Butte, Contra Costa, Trinity, El Dorado, Marin, Humboldt, Siskiyou, San Mateo, Madera, Shasta, Tuolumne, Alameda, Kern, Calaveras, Del Norte, Glenn, Lassen, Tehama, Yuba, Amador, Mariposa, Nevada, Mendocino, Plumas, Solano, Colusa
Outside California: southern Oregon
Bloom period
Prunus subcordata blooms Mar-May.
How to tell it apart
vs Quercus: Prunus has simple leaves with fine teeth; oak leaves are lobed or have coarse rounded teeth.; vs Rhamnus: Prunus has fleshy fruits with single hard pits; buckthorn has berry-like fruits with multiple seeds.; vs Malus: Prunus fruits have a single hard pit; apple fruits have a papery core with multiple seeds.; vs Frangula: Prunus has cup-shaped flower base that falls off; alder buckthorn has persistent berry-like fruit base.; vs Pyrus: Prunus produces single-pitted drupes; pear produces pome fruits with papery seed chambers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Prunus subcordata native to California?
Yes. Prunus subcordata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Prunus subcordata bloom?
Prunus subcordata blooms Mar-May.
Where in California does Prunus subcordata grow?
Prunus subcordata occurs in Sonoma, Sierra, Lake, Placer, Modoc, Fresno, Tulare, Napa and other counties, at elevations of 100-1900 m.
What plant family does Prunus subcordata belong to?
Prunus subcordata is in the Rosaceae family, genus Prunus.
What habitat does Prunus subcordata grow in?
Prunus subcordata grows in Mixed-evergreen or conifer forest.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.