plums, cherries, and allies (Prunus) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

Prunus brings peaches, plums, cherries, apricots, and almonds into one botanical genus. Some species are orchard crops, while others are native woodland trees or thicket-forming shrubs whose fruit feeds wildlife. Five-petaled spring flowers are a clue, but leaves, bark, flower clusters, and the single stone inside the fruit are needed for a closer identification.

In this group

American PlumPrunus americana

This native shrub or small tree forms thickets across much of central and eastern North America and has white spring flowers followed by red or yellow plums.

PeachPrunus persica

This widely grown orchard tree has narrow leaves, large pink flowers, and fuzzy fruit with one deeply grooved stone.

Sour CherryPrunus cerasus

This cultivated cherry has white spring flowers and tart red fruit. Its leaves often show small glands near the base.

AlmondPrunus amygdalus

This orchard tree is grown mainly in dry western regions. The familiar almond is the seed inside a leathery fruit, not the fleshy outer layer.

Japanese CherryPrunus serrulata

This East Asian species and its garden relatives are planted for spring flowers. Double-flowered may not show the simple five-petal pattern.

Black CherryPrunus serotina

This native tree grows in eastern U.S. forests; its small dark fruit is eaten by birds.

Appearance

Growth form: Most are shrubs or trees. Some native plums spread by root sprouts and form dense thickets, while cherries and orchard species often grow as single-trunked trees.
Flowers: Flowers may be solitary, held in small clusters, or arranged along a longer stem. Whether leaves appear before, with, or after the flowers can help narrow the species.
Fruit: The typical fruit has fleshy or dry tissue around one hard stone. Peaches and plums have thick flesh, while many wild cherries have much smaller fruits.
How to recognize it: Leaves are usually alternate and often finely toothed, and the flowers commonly have five white or pink petals with many . The fruit is usually a with one hard stone in the center.

Look-alikes

Apples and CrabapplesMalus

An apple or crabapple fruit has several seed chambers and usually keeps a star-shaped remnant of the flower at the end. A Prunus fruit has one hard stone in the center.

Why they get mixed upBoth groups have toothed leaves and clusters of five-petaled white or pink spring flowers.

PearsPyrus

Pear fruit has several seeds and often keeps part of the flower at the end opposite the stem. Prunus fruit has one hard stone in the center.

Why they get mixed upWhite flowers with many stamens can look very similar from a distance.

ServiceberriesAmelanchier

Serviceberry flowers have long, narrow petals and the fruit has several small seeds rather than one hard stone. Prunus petals are usually broader and rounder.

Why they get mixed upBoth are rose-family shrubs or trees with early white flowers and dark summer fruit.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: woodlands
forest edges
prairie draws
orchards and gardens
Range: Prunus is native across much of the world. In the United States it includes native species such as American plum (Prunus americana) as well as widely grown peaches, sour cherries, almonds, and ornamental flowering cherries.
Preferred conditions: Habitat ranges from moist eastern woodlands and Great Plains draws to dry western slopes and cultivated orchards. Light, chill, and soil needs differ widely among species.

Life cycle

Seed dispersal: Birds and mammals eat the fruit of many wild species and move the seeds.

Growing it

Propagation: Named orchard and ornamental cultivars are often or rooted from cuttings because seedlings may not keep the same traits.
Toxicity: Leaves, stems, and seeds of many Prunus contain . Edible fruit flesh does not make crushed pits or other plant parts safe to eat.

Name and classification

About the name: Some botanists classify cherries as Cerasus and almonds and peaches as Amygdalus.
Varieties and forms: Fruit crops and flowering cherries have many cultivars and hybrids selected for fruit size, flavor, flower form, leaf color, or weeping branches. A garden tree may be identifiable only to a cultivar group from photos.

Culture and stories

Culture and stories: American plum has long been used for food.

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