Canadian plum
Prunus nigra · Rosaceae
Canadian plum (Prunus nigra) is a perennial tree in the Rosaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 9 and warmer, down to about 24°F.
At a glance
| Type | tree USDA |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 9 ft USDA |
| Light | full-sun USDA |
| Soil pH | 6.5–8.5 USDA |
| Bloom | April–May USDA |
| Flower color | Red USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 9 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | understory Derived |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It needs full sun. Its drought tolerance is rated none — it needs reliable moisture. It is recorded on soils from pH 6.5 to 8.5 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 9.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 9 ft, making it a plant that will finish above head height.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of April through May. Flowers are red.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, coarse in texture. Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. Its active growth period is spring. USDA rates its lifespan as moderate.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 15 to 43 inches of annual precipitation. The low end of that band is genuinely arid, so it has a wide tolerance for dry country. It needs at least 128 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 36 inches.
Propagating it
Its seed spreads at a moderate rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals rate it barely palatable — the sourced basis for calling it deer-resistant. Its fire tolerance is rated none. Its growth form is recorded as thicket forming.
Role in a guild
Understory. In a layered planting this is the layer beneath the canopy, tall enough to hold structure but shaded from above. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Prunus
- American plum Prunus americana
- Chickasaw plum Prunus angustifolia
- bitter cherry Prunus emarginata
- desert almond Prunus fasciculata
Similar role and hardiness
- California wax myrtle Morella californica
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol PRNI, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, Edible, fall conspicuous, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, Type.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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