Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

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Prunus cerasifera

Common name

Cherry Plum

Family

Rosaceae

Where found

Woodland, disturbed sites, waste areas, roadsides, and near streams. Mainly Sydney and Canberra. Occasionally on the coast, ranges and tablelands.

Notes

Introduced deciduous tree or shrub to 12 m high. Fruit fleshy, edible. Young plants and lower stems sometimes spiny. Young stems sparsely hairy, soon becoming hairless, glossy. Leaves alternating up the stems, 2–6 cm long, 10–30 mm wide, green to red or purple, more or less hairless except for the veins on the lower surface, margins toothed or scalloped to almost entire, tips pointed. Flowers usually white, occasionally pink, about 25 mm in diameter, with 5 petals, on stalks 10–30 mm long. Flowers single or in clusters of up to 4, on short side shoots, appearing before the deciduous leaves. Fruit red or yellow, cherry-like, almost round, mostly 15–25 mm in diameter. Flowering: spring.

Family was Amygdalaceae.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Prunus~cerasifera  (accessed 3 February, 2021)