dwarf Russian almond
Prunus tenella · Rosaceae
dwarf Russian almond (Prunus tenella) is catalogued by the USDA PLANTS database. USDA records it as hardy in zone 3 and warmer, down to about -38°F.
At a glance
| Mature height | 5 ft USDA |
|---|---|
| Light | full-sun USDA |
| Water need | medium USDA |
| Growth rate | moderate USDA |
| Soil pH | 5–7.5 USDA |
| Bloom | May–June USDA |
| Flower color | White USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 3 and warmer USDA |
| Nursery availability | Routinely Available USDA |
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. USDA rates it as having moderate water needs. Its drought tolerance is rated high. It will not tolerate waterlogged soil — USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance as none. It is recorded on soils from pH 5 to 7.5 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 3.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 5 ft, making it roughly waist to chest height. It grows at a moderate rate.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of May through June. Flowers are white.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, coarse in texture. Its flowers are conspicuous. It carries conspicuous autumn colour. Its fruit or seed heads are conspicuous, extending interest past flowering. Its active growth period is spring and summer. USDA rates its lifespan as moderate.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 15 to 50 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 90 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 14 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.
Propagating it
Propagate it from seed, bare root and container stock. Seed needs cold stratification — a period of moist chilling — before it will germinate, so sow in autumn or chill it artificially before a spring sowing. Its seed spreads at a slow rate. It spreads vegetatively at a moderate rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Its fire tolerance is rated high, and it can resprout after damage. Its growth form is recorded as rhizomatous.
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
- Hartweg's beardtongue Penstemon hartwegii
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol PRTE5, 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, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, Edible, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, vegetative spread rate, Water need.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
Find more plants for your zone with the Plant Finder.