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

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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 2021 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