Prunus salicina: Uses (Ethnobotany)
Used in Chinese herbal medicine
Plant Profile: Prunus salicina
Taxonomy: Prunus salicinaNames
Chinese Plum, Japanese Plum
Phonetic Spelling:PROO-nus sah-lih-SEE-nuh
Genus:Prunus
Species:salicina
Family:Rosaceae
Japanese plums are petite flowering trees that blossom earlier in the spring and produce ripe fruit sooner in the summer compared to their European counterparts. Additionally, they generally need fewer chilling hours to bear fruit. Cultivars of these trees are prevalent in the plum market both domestically and internationally, often yielding larger fruits.
Prunus salicina Feature Summary
Tags
#cultivars
#deciduous
#small tree
#white flowers
#wildlife plant
#spring flowers
#flowering tree
#edible fruits
#larval host plant
#fruits summer
#deciduous tree
#butterfly friendly
#problem for cats
#pollinator garden
#problem for dogs
#problem for horses
#eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly
Similar Plants
Prunus salicina is often confused with:
Prunus salicina Feature Summary
Attributes
Used in Chinese herbal medicine
Russia, China, Vietnam, Taiwan
This is a larval host plant to Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus). You may see three flights from February-November in the deep south and two flights from May-September in the north.
Fruits are edible raw or cooked. Fruit can be candied or made into a liqueur, pies, preserves or dried
Woody
Seed
Stem Cutting
Fruit
The fruit is a red to purple juicy drupe 1.5 to 3 in. in diameter with yellow-pink flesh. Harvested in the summer
Drupe
Gold/Yellow
Pink
Edible
Summer
1-3 inches
1-3 inches
Flowers
White five petaled flowers appear in the spring
White
Spring
4-5 petals/rays
Leaves
The leaves are 2-4 in. long and 1-2 in. wide, with a serrated margin
Deciduous
Green
Simple
Serrate
3-6 inches
1-3 inches
Whole Plant Traits
Cultural Conditions
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Acid (<6.0)
Alkaline (>8.0)
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Good Drainage
Moist
24-60 feet
12-24 feet
Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont
5b
5a
6a
6b
7a
7b
8b
8a
Loam (Silt)
Stem
Landscape
Edible Garden
Butterfly Garden
Pollinator Garden
Flowering Tree
Butterflies
Pollinators
Problem for Cats
Problem for Dogs
Problem for Horses
Prunus salicina Image Gallery
Prunus salicina Attributes
Prunus salicina: Country Or Region Of Origin
Russia, China, Vietnam, Taiwan
Prunus salicina: Wildlife Value
This is a larval host plant to Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus). You may see three flights from February-November in the deep south and two flights from May-September in the north.
Prunus salicina: Edibility
Fruits are edible raw or cooked. Fruit can be candied or made into a liqueur, pies, preserves or dried
Prunus salicina: Life Cycle
Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody
Prunus salicina: Recommended Propagation Strategy
Division
Grafting
Layering
Leaf Cutting
Root Cutting
Seed
Stem Cutting
Prunus salicina Fruit
Prunus salicina: Fruit Description
The fruit is a red to purple juicy drupe 1.5 to 3 in. in diameter with yellow-pink flesh. Harvested in the summer
Prunus salicina: Fruit Type
Achene
Aggregate
Berry
Capsule
Caryopsis
Drupe
Follicle
Legume
Nut
Pome
Samara
Schizocarp
Siliqua
Prunus salicina: Fruit Color
Gold/Yellow
Pink
Prunus salicina: Fruit Value To Gardener
Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy
Prunus salicina: Display/Harvest Time
Fall
Spring
Summer
Winter
Prunus salicina: Fruit Length
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
> 3 inches
Prunus salicina: Fruit Width
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
> 3 inches
Prunus salicina Flowers
Prunus salicina: Flower Description
White five petaled flowers appear in the spring
Prunus salicina: Flower Color
White
Prunus salicina: Flower Bloom Time
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Prunus salicina: Flower Petals
2-3 rays/petals
4-5 petals/rays
6 petals/rays
7 - 20 petals/rays
asymmetrical petals
Bracts
Colored Sepals
fused petals
more than 20 petals/rays
Tepals
Prunus salicina: Flower Shape
Bell
Cross
Crown
Cup
Dome
Funnel
Irregular
Lipped
Radial
Saucer
Star
Trumpet
Tubular
Urn
Wheel
Prunus salicina Leaves
Prunus salicina: Leaf Description
The leaves are 2-4 in. long and 1-2 in. wide, with a serrated margin
Prunus salicina: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics
Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen
Prunus salicina: Leaf Color
Green
Prunus salicina: Leaf Type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Needles
Sheath
Simple
Prunus salicina: Leaf Margin
Crenate
Crenulate
Dentate
Denticulate
Doubly Crenate
Doubly Dentate
Doubly Serrate
Entire
Lobed
Serrate
Sinuate
Undulate
Prunus salicina: Hairs Present
No
Yes
Prunus salicina: Leaf Length
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches
Prunus salicina: Leaf Width
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches
Prunus salicina Whole Plant Traits
Prunus salicina: Plant Type
Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower
Prunus salicina: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics
Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen
Prunus salicina: Habit/Form
Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping
Prunus salicina: Growth Rate
Slow
Medium
Rapid
Prunus salicina Cultural Conditions
Prunus salicina: Light
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Prunus salicina: Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Alkaline (>8.0)
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Prunus salicina: Soil Drainage
Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry
Prunus salicina: Available Space To Plant
12 inches-3 feet
12-24 feet
24-60 feet
3 feet-6 feet
6-feet-12 feet
Less than 12 inches
more than 60 feet
Prunus salicina: NC Region
Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont
Prunus salicina: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone
5a
5b
6a
6b
7a
7b
8a
8b
Prunus salicina: Soil Texture
Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky
Prunus salicina Stem
Prunus salicina: Stem Is Aromatic
No
Yes
Prunus salicina Landscape
Prunus salicina: Landscape Theme
Asian Garden
Butterfly Garden
Children's Garden
Cottage Garden
Cutting Garden
Drought Tolerant Garden
Edible Garden
English Garden
Fairy Garden
Garden for the Blind
Native Garden
Nighttime Garden
Pollinator Garden
Rain Garden
Rock Garden
Shade Garden
Water Garden
Winter Garden
Prunus salicina: Design Feature
Accent
Barrier
Border
Flowering Tree
Foundation Planting
Hedge
Mass Planting
Screen/Privacy
Security
Shade Tree
Small groups
Small Tree
Specimen
Street Tree
Understory Tree
Prunus salicina: Landscape Location
Coastal
Container
Hanging Baskets
Houseplants
Lawn
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Near Septic
Patio
Pond
Pool/Hardscape
Recreational Play Area
Riparian
Rock Wall
Slope/Bank
Small Space
Vertical Spaces
Walkways
Woodland
Prunus salicina: Attracts
Bats
Bees
Butterflies
Frogs
Hummingbirds
Moths
Pollinators
Predatory Insects
Reptiles
Small Mammals
Songbirds
Specialized Bees
Prunus salicina: Problems
Allelopathic
Contact Dermatitis
Frequent Disease Problems
Frequent Insect Problems
Invasive Species
Malodorous
Messy
Poisonous to Humans
Problem for Cats
Problem for Children
Problem for Dogs
Problem for Horses
Short-lived
Spines/Thorns
Weak Wood
Weedy
