Myrobalan plum, Cherry plum, Flowering plum
Prunus cerasifera

Family: Rosaceae

What it is like

A deciduous tree. It grows to 7.5 m high. The crown is spreading and open. The twigs are thorny. The bark is purple-brown and thinly scaly. It has orange lenticels across it. The leaves are alternate and glossy green. They are oval and 6 cm long by 3 cm wide. There are small regular rounded teeth on the edge of the leaf. The flowers are small and white. They appear before the leaves. They are 2.5 cm across. There are 5 petals and sepals which curve back. The flowers occur singly or in small clusters. The fruit are green but turn red. They are 3 cm across. They are edible. There are several named cultivated varieties.

There are about 200 Prunus species.

Where it is found

Temperate. The cv. called Sogdijskaya grows in Kazakhstan it grows in gorges and mountain slopes between 800-2,200 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 4-10.

Countries/locations it is found in

Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Asia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Balkans, Belarus, Britain, Bulgaria, Caucasus, Central Asia, China, Ecuador, Europe, France, Georgia, Greece, Himalayas, Hungary, India, Iraq, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Mediterranean, Middle East, New Zealand, North Africa, North America, Pacific, Russia, South America, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Türkiye, USA, Uzbekistan, Yugoslavia

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten raw. They are also used for pies, tarts and jam. They are used for syrup.

It is a cultivated food plant.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds

How it is grown

The tree can spread by suckering.

Its other names

Local names

Alû balû, Alycha, Dzhanka, Fosoka szilva, Helûzhe, Kabutak, Kaisi, Mirobolano, Prsliva sliva, Sliva djanki, Sogdijskaya plum

Synonyms

Prunus cerasifera subsp. myrobalana (L.) C.K. Schneid.; Prunus cerasifera var. atropurpurea H. Jaeger; Prunus cerasifera var. pissardii (Carriere) L. H. Bailey; Prunus cerasifera var. woodii (Spath) Rehder; Prunus korolkowii R. Vilm.; Prunus myrobalana (L.) Loisel.; Prunus pissardii Carriere; Prunus sogdiana Vassilcz.;