Japanese Plums are small flowering trees that bloom earlier in the spring and their fruits ripen earlier in the summer than European plums. They also typically require fewer chilling hours than European plums to set fruit. Cultivars of this tree dominate the market for plums in this and other countries and tend to have larger fruits. More information on Prunus .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt)
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
12-24 feet; 24-60 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 20 ft. 0 in. - 33 ft. 0 in. | Width: 15 ft. 0 in. - 30 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Rounded
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The leaves are 2-4 in. long and 1-2 in. wide, with a serrated margin
Flower color
White
Flower shape
Cup
Flower detail
White five petaled flowers appear in the spring
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Gold/Yellow; Pink
Fruit type
Drupe
Fruit value
Edible
Fruit size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Fruit detail
The fruit is a red to purple juicy drupe 1.5 to 3 in. in diameter with yellow-pink flesh. Harvested in the summer
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Russia, China, Vietnam, Taiwan
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.
Attracts
Butterflies; Pollinators
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Fruit
Harvest time
Summer
Fruit type
Drupe
Edibility
Fruits are edible raw or cooked. Fruit can be candied or made into a liqueur, pies, preserves or dried