Rosaceae
American plum
Prunus americana
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Genus
- Prunus
Pet and kid safety: not checked yet. Check pet-safe plants

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

Photo: Andrew Ciscel, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Dick Culbert from Gibsons, B.C., Canada, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons Photo: Mark Watson, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Dick Culbert from Gibsons, B.C., Canada, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons Photo: Brenda Robinson, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Ryan Hodnett, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons Photo: adam.mccullough, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Ryan Hodnett, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons Photo: Steve Trill, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons Photo: brewma01, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
More in Prunus
- Japanese flowering cherryPrunus serrulataRosaceae
- PeachPrunus persicaRosaceae
- AlmondPrunus amygdalusRosaceae
- ApricotPrunus armeniacaRosaceae
- European plumPrunus domesticaRosaceae
- BlackthornPrunus spinosaRosaceae
- Sour cherryPrunus cerasusRosaceae
- Bird cherryPrunus padusRosaceae
- Cherry plumPrunus cerasiferaRosaceae
- Cherry laurelPrunus laurocerasusRosaceae
- St lucie cherryPrunus mahalebRosaceae
- Japanese apricotPrunus mumeRosaceae
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.