← Bedfellow

Flatwoods Plum

Prunus umbellata

Flatwoods plum, or hog plum, is a small Southeastern plum that clouds dry woods and fencerows with white bloom in late winter. Its purple plums make fine jelly and draw birds and mammals. As with every plum and cherry, the flesh is the food: the pits, leaves and twigs are cyanogenic and are not.

Family

Rosaceae

Type

tree

Lifespan

perennial

Height

12–20 ft

Spacing

12–18 ft apart

Light

sun, part shade

Soil moisture

dry

Soil pH

acidic

Bloom

February, March, April, May

Bloom colors

white, pink

Wildlife value

pollinators, butterflies, mammals, songbirds, larval host

Caterpillar hosts

~456 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

specimen, hedge or screen

Native states

AL, AR, CT, FL, GA, LA, MD, MI, MS, NC, NJ, NY, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV