ROSACEAE - - Rose Family

* Prunus cerasifera Ehrhart — Purpleleaf Plum

* not native to the United States

Purpleleaf Plum (Prunus cerasifera) - is a small tree, to 8 m. tall, usually single-stemmed. Native to w. Asia; cultivated for fruit and as a flowering specimen. Rarely naturalized near sources of its cultivation. One of the most common forms planted in the SE is the var. atropurpurea Jaeg.; it has dark red or purplish foliage, dark red twigs, and wine red fruits. Leaves acute at tip; margins with obtuse teeth. Fruit subglobose, to 3 cm. in diameter, reddish, with a bloom; seed almost round.

Habitat:

Suburban woodlands; native of Asia. Introduced at scattered locations; reported for TN, PA, NJ.

Habitat information from:
Weakley, Alan S., Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States, Working Draft of 21 May 2015.

The range of Prunus cerasifera (Purpleleaf Plum)

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2015. North American Plant Atlas. (http://bonap.net/napa). Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2015. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press)].

The Georgia range of Prunus cerasifera (Purpleleaf Plum)

Zomlefer, W.B., J.R. Carter, & D.E. Giannasi. 2014 (and ongoing). The Atlas of Georgia Plants. University of Georgia Herbarium (Athens, Georgia) and Valdosta State University Herbarium (Valdosta, Georgia). Available at: http://www.georgiaherbaria.org/.