American Plum Seed
- Fragrant white blossoms cover bare branches in early spring
- Sweet-tart red to yellow plums ripen in late summer for jams and pies
- Dense thickets make a tough windbreak, edible hedge or wildlife shelter
- Plant seeds in fall and let winter prepare them for spring growth
Key Attributes
About American, Plum Seed
Fragrant white blossoms cover this tough, thicket-forming native in early spring, before the leaves emerge. American Plum (Prunus americana) follows its flowers with small, sweet-tart red to yellow plums in late summer, perfect for fresh eating, jams and pies. It is extremely hardy and drought tolerant, and its dense growth makes a great windbreak, wildlife shelter or edible hedge on farms and larger properties.
Growing details
Plant profile
Seed & variety
Before Planting
Planting
Watering
Fertilizer
Harvesting
Tips
Pests & Diseases
Black knot and plum pockets can affect fruit and branches; prune out swellings in winter. Brown rot may spoil fruit in wet summers.
Plum curculio, tent caterpillars and aphids are common. Japanese beetles may feed on leaves in summer.
Native States & Regions
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Native regions: Widespread Native
Its Role in the Native Ecosystem
American Plum's early blossoms are an important first nectar source for native bees and other spring pollinators. Its leaves host many caterpillars, including tiger swallowtails and hairstreaks. Birds, foxes, deer and other wildlife eat the fruit, and the dense, thorny thickets give nesting cover to songbirds and shelter to quail.
American Plum Native Range Map
Native range describes natural occurrence, not the origin of this seed lot or every location where a plant can be grown.
Alaska and Hawaii are shown as insets. State-level range does not mean a plant occurs throughout every part of that state.
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