SimplePlant

Rosaceae

American plum

Prunus americana Marshall

Family
Rosaceae
Genus
Prunus

Pet and kid safety: not checked yet. Check pet-safe plants

American plum: American Plum ( Prunus americana ), May 6, 2007, Minneapolis
Photo: Andrew Ciscel, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons

Is yours looking unwell? Scan your plant — free

Common names

By language (6)
Arabic
برقوق أمريكي
Chinese
美洲李, 美国李
English
American plum, American red plum, Goose plum, American plum tree
French
Prunier américain, Prunier rouge américain
German
Prärie-Pflaume
Spanish
Ciruelo Americano

Synonyms

  • Cerasus americana Hook. & Arn.
  • Cerasus canadensis Loisel.
  • Cerasus hyemalis (Michx.) Ser.
  • Padus canadensis M.Roem.
  • Prunus acinaria Desf.
  • Prunus acuminata K.Koch
  • Prunus americana f. rosea (Peck) House
  • Prunus americana subvar. acuminata Asch. & Graebn.
  • Prunus americana var. floridana Sarg.
  • Prunus americana var. rosea Peck
  • Prunus coccinea Raf.
  • Prunus domestica var. americana (Marshall) Castigl.
  • Prunus hyemalis Michx.
  • Prunus mississipi Marshall

Flowers

Flower colour
white (USDA PLANTS Database)

Characteristics

Growth habit
Shrub, Tree
Lifespan
Perennial
In the US and Canada
Canada: native, Lower 48 states: native

Toxicity: Slight, as listed by the USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29). USDA rates how toxic a plant is to people or livestock; it is not a pet-safety rating, so ask a vet or poison line if a pet or child ate it.

Photos

More in Prunus

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.