Canada Plum
Prunus nigra Ait.
Genus: Prunus
Subgenus: Prunophora
French Name: Prunier noir

General Information
Scientific Name: Prunus nigra
Common Name(s): Canada Plum, Black Plum 

Native Range: Found in the southern parts of eastern Canada.

Habitat: Prefers river valleys but can also be found in pastures and along fencerows, especially on limestone-rich soils. Typically occurs as widely scattered individual trees.

Cultivation: Several ornamental cultivars have been developed due to the tree’s attractive, showy flowers.


Size & Growth
Typical Height: Small tree, usually up to 9 meters tall.
Maximum Diameter: 25 cm.

Growth Form
Short, crooked trunk, often divided into multiple stiff, upright branches about a meter above the ground.
Crown is irregular and flat-topped.
Often grows in clumps rather than as solitary trees.

Leaf Characteristics
Leaf Type: Deciduous, alternate, simple.
Shape: Broadly oval, widest above the middle, 6-12 cm long.
Tip: Abruptly narrowing to a long, slender point.
Base: Varies—can be widely wedge-shaped, rounded, or heart-shaped.

Surface
Upper side: Dull dark green.
Underside: Slightly paler.
Thin and fragile.
Double-toothed with prominent, rounded teeth; smaller ones are often gland-tipped.
Veins: Prominent midvein with slender lateral veins.
Leaf Stalks: Stout, with large, dark glands.

Buds
Size: 4-8 mm long.
Color: Grayish-brown.
Shape: Appressed (lying flat) against the twig.
Scales: Thin, pale, and frayed at the tips.

Twigs
Color: Slender, smooth, reddish-brown.
Thorns: Shorter shoots often end in a thorn and may bear leaves and flowers.

Flowers
Color: White, turning pink.
Size: Showy, fragrant, 15-25 mm across.
Arrangement: Small clusters (umbels) of 2-4 flowers, appearing on the previous year’s twigs.
Bloom Time: Flowers open at the same time as or just before the new leaves appear.

Fruits
Shape: Somewhat elongated, 25-30 mm long.
Skin: Thick; colors range from red to orange-red or yellow; not powdery.
Flesh: Yellow, juicy, sour.
Ripening Period: Mid-August to early September.

Bark
Young Trees: Black, with slightly elongated grayish lenticels.

Mature Trees
Bark begins to split vertically, with the separated edges curling back slightly to reveal inner bark.
Eventually becomes scaly with age.

Reproduction & Ecology
Vegetative Reproduction: Can spread through root suckers, forming clumps.
Wildlife Value: Fruits provide food for birds and mammals.

Wood
Uses: Not commonly harvested for timber but sometimes used in small woodworking projects.

Quick Recognition
Key Features: Broadly oval leaves with a long, slender tip and double-toothed edges.
Large, showy white-to-pink flowers appearing before or with the leaves.
Fruits are thick-skinned, elongated, and ripen in late summer.
Bark eventually splits and curls back, revealing inner bark.
Short trunk with multiple stiff, upright branches, giving it an irregular, flat-topped crown.