Cherry Plum Tree (Myrobalan): Fruit, Purple-Leaf Plums and Invasiveness

By the Garden Voila editorial team · Updated October 27, 2026 · How we verify

The cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera), also called myrobalan plum, is a small, fast-growing Eurasian tree, usually 15 to 30 feet tall, that bears cherry-sized, round red or yellow plums in mid to late summer. It is best known in North America in its purple-leaved ornamental forms, such as ‘Pissardii’ and ‘Thundercloud’, and as the most common rootstock for orchard plums. The fruit is edible, juicy and sweet-tart, and makes excellent jam. The tree is hardy to about zone 4, short-lived and easy to grow, but it can spread from seed and is considered invasive in some regions.

Cherry plum in brief

What is a cherry plum?

Cherry plum is a wild plum species from the Balkans, Caucasus and Central Asia. It is one of the parents of the European plum, and it has been grown for centuries for fruit, hedges and as a rootstock. In much of Europe, wild and hedgerow cherry plums are foraged in summer for jam and liqueurs. In North America it is more familiar as the purple-leaf plum lining streets and parking lots, and as myrobalan rootstock under many backyard plum trees.

The name “cherry plum” is confusing because it is also used for modern hybrids between plums and cherries (sometimes sold as “cherry plums” or “pluerries”) and for plums that simply look like cherries. This guide covers Prunus cerasifera. For an overview of the plum family, see types of plum trees.

What does a cherry plum tree look like?

• Size and shape: The Oklahoma State University plant profile lists about 30 feet tall with a 25-foot spread; garden trees are often 15 to 20 feet with a rounded crown.
• Leaves: Simple, alternate, oval, finely toothed, about 1½ to 2½ inches long. Wild trees have green leaves; ornamental cultivars have purple to bronze leaves.
• Bark and twigs: Dark brown, smooth, sometimes with short spur-like thorns on wild trees.
• Flowers: Small, five-petaled, white to pale pink, often opening before or with the leaves in very early spring, among the first trees to bloom.
• Fruit: Round, about an inch across, smooth-skinned, red, purple or yellow, with juicy yellow flesh and a single stone.

Are cherry plums edible?

Yes. Ripe cherry plums are juicy and sweet-tart, with a thin skin that can be sour. Fully ripe yellow and red fruits from good trees are pleasant fresh, but most foragers cook them into jam, jelly, sauces, chutney, fruit leather and liqueurs, where their tartness and high pectin are an advantage. Purple-leaf ornamental trees usually fruit lightly, and their small, dark plums are edible but often sour.

As with all stone fruit, do not eat, crush or chew the kernels inside the pits, which contain compounds that can release cyanide.

When are cherry plums ripe?

Cherry plums ripen from about July to early September, depending on climate and tree. Ripe fruit is fully colored, slightly soft, sweet and drops easily when the branch is shaken. Many trees drop their fruit all at once over a week or two, so spread a sheet under the branches and shake gently to collect it.

Why is cherry plum used as a rootstock?

Seedlings of cherry plum, known as myrobalan rootstock, are among the most widely used rootstocks for plums, and are also used for some apricots and almonds. Myrobalan is vigorous, adaptable to a wide range of soils including heavy and wet ones, well anchored and compatible with most European and Japanese plums. The University of Illinois Extension notes that most European plums and many Japanese plums in its region are grafted onto myrobalan. If you see shoots with small, different leaves growing from the base of your plum tree, they are probably myrobalan suckers from the rootstock and should be removed.

What are purple-leaf plums?

Purple-leaf plums are cherry plum cultivars selected for dark foliage. ‘Pissardii’ (also called ‘Atropurpurea’) was introduced to Europe from Persia in the 1880s, and ‘Thundercloud’, ‘Krauter Vesuvius’ and ‘Newport’ are popular in North America. They are grown for their pink spring flowers and deep purple leaves rather than fruit, although some bear small, dark plums. Utah State University Extension notes that the ornamental ‘Newport’ sometimes produces fruit that can be processed. Purple-leaf plums are short-lived and prone to several pests, so they are often replaced every 15 to 20 years.

Is cherry plum invasive?

In some places, yes. Birds, mammals and people spread its seeds, and seedlings establish in woodlands, riparian areas and scrub.

How do you grow a cherry plum tree?

1. Site: Full sun for the best flowers, leaf color and fruit. OSU notes it prefers full sun and well-drained soil and tolerates a range of pH levels.
2. Planting: Plant in late winter or early spring while dormant. Use the planting hole size calculator for the hole, plant at nursery depth and water deeply.
3. Spacing: Allow about 15 to 20 feet from buildings and other trees; closer for a hedge.
4. Water: Water weekly in the first summer; established trees tolerate moderate drought.
5. Mulch 2 to 4 inches deep, keeping it off the trunk.
6. Pruning: Prune lightly after flowering or in late winter to remove crossing, dead and damaged branches. Remove suckers at the base.

Check your zone with the growing zone finder. OSU lists cherry plum as cold hardy to zone 4.

What pests and diseases affect cherry plum?

OSU lists thrips, Japanese beetles, aphids, scale, mites, leafhoppers, canker, rust, black spot and powdery mildew among its problems. In the eastern US, black knot and plum curculio also attack it. Most problems are cosmetic on ornamental trees but can shorten their life. Prune out cankered and knotted branches in winter, keep the tree watered in drought and replace declining trees rather than fighting chronic problems. The plant problem identifier helps with diagnosis.

Cherry plum vs other small plums

What are plum-cherry hybrids?

Some nurseries sell trees called cherry plums that are actually hybrids between Japanese plums and cherries or sand cherries. These include interspecific crosses marketed under trade names, with small, sweet, dark fruit, and older hardy hybrids of sand cherry and plum bred for the northern plains. Their growing needs are closer to Japanese plums, and many are patented, so propagating them without a license is not allowed. Check the botanical name and description to know what you are buying. For plum-apricot hybrids, see pluot vs plumcot.

How do you make cherry plum jam?

1. Wash the plums and remove stems.
2. Simmer whole fruit with a little water until soft; the stones will loosen.
3. Press the pulp through a sieve or food mill to remove stones and skins, or fish out the stones by hand.
4. Cook the pulp with sugar, roughly equal weights for a traditional set, until it reaches the setting point.
5. Fill sterilized jars and process following tested home-canning guidelines.

Cherry plums are high in pectin, so they set well without added pectin. Tested methods are available from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Can you grow cherry plum as a hedge?

Yes. In Europe, cherry plum has long been used in farm hedgerows because it grows quickly, tolerates hard cutting and has some thorny side twigs that deter livestock. Plant bare-root whips about 18 inches apart in a single or staggered row in late winter, cut them back by about a third after planting to encourage bushy growth, and trim the hedge after flowering each year. A cherry plum hedge flowers very early, feeding bees on the first warm days of the year, and produces fruit for jam if you trim lightly enough to leave some flowering wood. In regions where it is invasive, choose a native shrub instead.

How do you identify a cherry plum in the wild?

Look for a small tree that blooms with white flowers very early in spring, often before or with the first leaves, weeks ahead of most other trees. The leaves are oval, finely toothed and shiny, and the round, cherry-sized fruit hangs singly on short stalks, unlike true cherries, which hang on long stalks, and unlike blackthorn sloes, which are small, blue-black and very astringent. Cut a fruit open: a cherry plum has juicy yellow flesh and a flattened plum stone, not the round stone of a cherry. If you forage, make sure of your identification and avoid trees along busy roads or sprayed areas.

Does cherry plum need a pollinator?

Many wild and ornamental cherry plums set some fruit on their own, but crops are heavier when another cherry plum or a compatible Japanese plum blooms nearby. Because cherry plum blooms so early, a frost during flowering is the most common reason for a missing crop. Ornamental purple-leaf forms are selected for foliage, not fruit, and often fruit lightly regardless.

How do you store and use a cherry plum harvest?

Fresh cherry plums keep only a few days at room temperature and about a week in the refrigerator, so process them quickly. Freeze whole fruit on trays for later jam-making, cook them into sauce and press out the stones, or steep them in vodka or gin with sugar for a fruit liqueur. Their sharp flavor balances rich meats, and cherry plum sauce is a traditional accompaniment in parts of the Caucasus, where a similar sour plum sauce is called tkemali. Because the fruit drops quickly when ripe, plan to harvest and process a tree’s crop over just a week or two.

Are cherry plum trees safe around pets?

Like other Prunus species, cherry plum leaves, stems and seed kernels contain cyanogenic compounds, and wilted leaves are especially risky for livestock. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center lists plum plant parts as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Pick up fallen fruit and pits, keep animals from chewing branches and call your veterinarian if a pet eats a quantity of pits or leaves.

Looking for the next tree to plant? Our guide to growing fruit trees at home compares options by climate and space.

Frequently asked questions

References used in this guide: California Invasive Plant Council, Prunus cerasifera Plant Assessment Form; Oklahoma State University Extension, Cherry Plum; Utah State University Extension, Plums in the Home Garden.