It ’s not the fruit but the leaves that are purple on purple plum tree trees , sometimes called cherry plums . Deciduous in the wintertime , the trees bear ornamental flowers in natural spring followed quickly by the emersion of reddish leave that mature to a deep red - purpleness to cryptic purple . These trees make vibrant contrast accents in landscape painting that are filled chiefly with green - leave behind trees . Depending on species , purple plum tree Tree are best grown in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zone 2 through 8 .

Origins

The Myrobalan plum ( Prunus cerasifera ) is the source for the many modern hybrid purple plum tree diagram varieties . Native to western Asia and the Caucasus , this tree carry white spring flowers and dark green leaves . in the beginning other fruits , like comestible sweet and sour cherry tree or plum , were graft onto the tough , fearless rootstock of the Myrobalan plum . A historical genetic chromosomal mutation prior to 1880 discovered by the gardener to the Shah of Iran unveil the first empurpled - leaf diverseness named ' Atropurpurea ' grant to American woodwind plant expert Dr. Michael Dirr . It is often called the Pissard plum to reward the nurseryman who pick out it .

Genetic Crosses

After the introduction of ' Atropurpurea ' into the horticultural earthly concern in the nineteenth century , other cherry mintage were genetically hybridise with it to give other purple plum trees . When ' Atropurpurea ' was hybridized with Japanese apricot ( Prunus mume ) the species Prunus x blireiana was forge . It is a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree to 20 feet tall with fragrant pinkish flower and reddish - purple leaf that mature to green . When ' Atropurpurea ' was crossed with sandcherry ( Prunus pumila ) , a little tree diagram about 10 foot tall ensue , visit the purpleleaf sandcherry ( Prunus x cistena ) . Its pinkish flowers open alongside the young empurpled leaves in spring .

Cultivated Varieties

Three additional naturalize varieties were selected from ' Atropurpurea . ' These cultivars display different bloom colors or other foliage colouring material property and different overall tree size that afforded their use in gardens . ' Krauter Vesuvius ' grows 30 feet marvelous and 20 feet across-the-board and bears blackish red - purple leaves and whitish - pink flowers with little fruiting . ' Thundercloud ' arise 20 foot tall and wide and produces slighter profoundly pinkish flowers later than those of ' Krauter Vesuvius , ' with which it is often confused . ' Thundercloud ' keep the full-bodied , deep - purple leaf colour superbly across the passion of summertime . Lastly , ' Newport ' grows 15 to 20 grandiloquent and wide with a rounded canopy and bronze - reddish come forth leaves that mature bass reddened - purpleness . Its bloom are pinkish white . ' Mount St. Helens ' was a inherited sport off of ' Newport ' and is faster growing with slightly larger leafage . ' Purple Pony ' does not bring forth fruits and grow 10 to 12 feet tall and broad . Other cultivars of purpleleaf sandcherry let in ' Big Cis ' and ' Minnesota Red . '

Uses

count on fledged size , over-embellished plum tree trees are mature as rum specimen trees that double as a modest shade tree in lawns , foundation bed or mixed edge . Shorter type work well as an intimate screen or hedgerow . Michael Dirr suggests using these imperial - foliaged plants with discretion as their ocular colour can be overpowering if not balanced with plenty of gullible - leaved plants nearby .

Liabilities

Numerous louse pests and fungal disease afflict purple plum trees , causing unorthodox ramification dieback . Some are comparatively short - lived , look on their genetic bloodline and yard of growth . As a general rule , smaller trees that turn apace live significantly scant life twosome than the slower - paced larger trees .

References

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