Search Fact Sheets Virginia Tech Dendrology

Klamath plum Rosaceae Prunus subcordata Benth. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: PRSU2
Leaf: Alternate, simple, deciduous, broadly ovate to oval, from 1 to 3 inches long, serrated or doubly serrated margins, small yellow-green glands on basal serrations or petiole, green above and paler below.
Flower: Perfect, small, white; borne in a loose, rounded cluster.
Fruit: An oblong drupe, 1/2 to 1 1/4 inches long; yellow, dark red, or purple when mature; large single seed is ridged on one side, edible.
Twig: Slender, round, and smooth; eventually dark reddish brown with conspicuous lenticles; spur shoots are common on older twigs and commonly resemble thorns.
Bark: Thin (about 1/4 inch), grayish brown, and tending to break into fissures and scaly plates.
Form: A thicket-forming shrub or small tree, sometimes reaching 25 feet tall.
 Looks like: choke cherry - bitter cherry - Oregon crabapple

Klamath plum leaf image
Klamath plum flower image
Klamath plum fruit image
Klamath plum twig image
Klamath plum bark image
Klamath plum form image
Klamath plum map image

Additional Range Information: Prunus subcordata is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information