Can you eat thundercloud plums?
The thundercloud plum is a purple-leaved cultivar of the cherry plum. The summer-yielded, small plums are edible and commonly eaten raw or cooked in pies, jams, etc. They are well-named because they very closely resemble sweet cherries. Bees are a popular pollinator of plum trees and birds love to eat the fruit.
Are thundercloud plum trees messy?
Thundercloud is a fast growing tree that has considerable drought tolerance once established. This variety does produce a lot of little plums (edible, so you don’t have to worry about the kids eating them), and you may not want to place this tree near sidewalks, as the plums can be rather messy when they fall.
How fast does a thundercloud plum grow?
about 1-2′ feet per year
The leaves range in color from pure purple, with some displaying a green ting. This tree has a moderate growth rate and gains about 1-2′ feet per year. It’s best planted in the early spring and autumn.
Do thundercloud plum trees produce fruit?
A Flurry of Flowers and Vibrant Foliage Thundercloud Plum doesn’t bear typical plum fruits; in fact, it’s classified as an “ornamental” plum tree. It’s also known as purple-leaf plum because of its foliage color and cherry plum because of the red cherry-sized fruits that appear on many trees.
Is a thundercloud plum tree self pollinating?
A thundercloud plum tree doesn’t classify as a self-pollinating plant. Therefore, if you have only one, it won’t pollinate on its own. Instead, it requires cross-pollination, meaning that pollen from one plant will blow through the air or be carried by an animal to the other tree.
Can plums be poisonous?
The seeds of stone fruits — including cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines, and mangoes — naturally contain cyanide compounds, which are poisonous. If you accidentally swallow a fruit pit, it probably won’t cause any harm.
How big does a thundercloud plum tree get?
15-25′ tall
‘Thundercloud’ is purple-leaved cultivar that typically grows as a dense, upright-spreading tree to 15-25′ tall. It has become a very popular ornamental landscape tree in large part because its showy purple foliage retains excellent color throughout the growing season.
How do you care for a thundercloud plum tree?
The Thundercloud Plum will perform best if you plant it in well-drained soil that is mildly acidic. Be sure to plant it in full sun. It will thrive in the shade, but won’t produce the deep purple colors. Plant in a hole twice as wide and a little deeper than the root ball.
How do you plant a thundercloud plum tree?
Plant in a Sunny Site The rich purple leaves will be at their most vibrant in a spot with full sun — in shade leaves will turn greenish rather than purple. If you’re planting multiple plums, provide 18 to 22 feet of space in between trees.
How tall does a thundercloud plum get?
What does a thundercloud plum tree look like?
The Purple Thundercloud plum tree is a cultivar of Prunus cerasifera. Desirable for its deep purple foliage, the tree flowers in the spring with small pink blooms, reaching a maximum height of about 20 feet, with a canopy of equal size.
Why do plum trees have purple leaves?
In a plum tree, there is either a lack of chlorophyll (The pigment that gives most leaves their green color), or there is an over abundance of anthocyanins. I’d bet it’s the latter. The “purpose” of this purple color is another matter. The vast majority of things in nature do in fact have a specific purpose.
What is a plum tree?
A Plum Tree is a small to medium-sized tree related to the flowering cherries that are such a beautiful feature of spring gardens. Although not as showy, Plum Trees do have small white flowers in spring that produce the plums.
What is a flowering plum?
Also known as cherry plum or myrobalan plum, flowering plum (Prunus cerasifera) is a small to medium-sized ornamental tree native to Asia. Purple-leaved cultivars, such as the popular Thundercloud, are more common in the home landscape than the parent species, which has green leaves.