Indian plum
Oemleria cerasiformis · Rosaceae
Indian plum (Oemleria cerasiformis) is a perennial shrub in the Rosaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 9 and warmer, down to about 28°F.
At a glance
| Type | shrub Derived |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 5 ft USDA |
| Light | part-shade USDA |
| Growth rate | rapid USDA |
| Soil pH | 5–7.2 USDA |
| Bloom | March–May USDA |
| Flower color | White USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 9 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | shrub 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 grows in partial shade. Its drought tolerance is rated low. It handles periodically wet ground (USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance medium). It is recorded on soils from pH 5 to 7.2 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 9.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 5 ft, making it roughly waist to chest height. It grows quickly.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of March through May. Flowers are white.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, medium in texture. Its flowers are conspicuous. It carries conspicuous autumn colour. Its fruit or seed heads are conspicuous, extending interest past flowering. USDA rates its lifespan as short, so plan on replacing or resowing it rather than treating it as permanent structure.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 16 to 33 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 207 frost-free days to finish its season.
Propagating it
It takes readily from seed, cuttings, 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 rapid rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals rate it barely palatable — the sourced basis for calling it deer-resistant. Its growth form is recorded as multiple stem.
Role in a guild
Shrub layer. In a layered planting this is woody mid-level structure between the understory and the ground. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol OECE, 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: Bloom, Bloom end, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, Edible, fall conspicuous, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer, Type.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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