American Plum (Prunus americana) is a Michigan Native plant available at Wild Cherry Farm
 Red-Spotted Purple at Wild Cherry Farm
Hummingbird Clearwing at Wild Cherry Farm
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail at Wild Cherry Farm
American Plum (Prunus americana) is a Michigan Native plant available at Wild Cherry Farm
 Red-Spotted Purple at Wild Cherry Farm
Hummingbird Clearwing at Wild Cherry Farm
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail at Wild Cherry Farm

American Plum (Prunus americana)

$10.75
Out of Stock

American Plum is remarkable for its value to wildlife. As a Keystone Plant, it is the host for the Red-Spotted Purple, Hummingbird Clearwing, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, and 416 other species of butterflies and moths in our area (nwf.org)! It produces a profusion of aromatic flowers in the spring that are very popular with early pollinators and attract many different kinds of native bees and it is the host plant for the specialist bee Andrena fenningeri (Johnson and Colla, 2023). The fruits are eaten by mammals which helps to spread the large seeds to new locations (illinoiswildflower.info). If American Plum likes where it is located, it can spread by suckers to form thickets.

Photo Credit: Matt Levin (1-2), John Blair (3-5)

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American Plum is remarkable for its value to wildlife. As a Keystone Plant, it is the host for the Red-Spotted Purple, Hummingbird Clearwing, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, and 416 other species of butterflies and moths in our area (nwf.org)! It produces a profusion of aromatic flowers in the spring that are very popular with early pollinators and attract many different kinds of native bees and it is the host plant for the specialist bee Andrena fenningeri (Johnson and Colla, 2023). The fruits are eaten by mammals which helps to spread the large seeds to new locations (illinoiswildflower.info). If American Plum likes where it is located, it can spread by suckers to form thickets.

Photo Credit: Matt Levin (1-2), John Blair (3-5)

Life Cycle: Perennial

Sun Exposure: Full, Partial

Soil Moisture: Medium-Wet, Medium, Medium-Dry

Height: Up to 20 ft, depends on sun and moisture

Plant Spacing: 5-15 feet

Bloom Time: April-May

Bloom Color: White

Advantages: Caterpillar Favorite, Pollinator Favorite, Bird Favorite

Host Plant: Hummingbird Clearwing, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Red Spotted Purple, and 416 other species of butterflies and moths use this as a caterpillar host plant in our area (nwf.org)

Specialist Bee: Andrena fenningeri (Johnson and Colla, 2023)

Resource: Johnson, Lorraine, and Sheila Colla. A Northern Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants and Pollinators: Creating Habitat in the Northeast, Great Lakes, and Upper Midwest. Island Press, 2023

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