Plantae > Tracheophyta > Magnoliopsida > Rosales > Rosaceae > Prunus > Prunus nigra

Prunus nigra (Canada Plum)

Synonyms: Cerasus nigra (heterotypic); Prunus americana var. nigra (homotypic); Prunus nigra f. nigra; Prunus nigra f. roseiflora

Wikipedia Abstract

Prunus nigra, the Canada plum, Canadian plum or black plum, is a species of Prunus, native to eastern North America from Nova Scotia west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south as far as Connecticut, Illinois, and Iowa. It formerly also grew in Ohio but is now thought to be extinct in that state. Isolated populations are present along streambanks in Saskatchewan and Alberta, along Lake Timiskaming in northern Ontario, and along the Maine-New Brunswick border, though this latter population is now severely threatened as the tree is a host for an aphid that menaces the local potato crop and so many of the trees have been cut down.
View Wikipedia Record: Prunus nigra

Attributes

Air Quality Improvement [1]  Low
Allergen Potential [1]  Medium-Low
Carbon Capture [1]  Low
Screening - Summer [2]  Moderate
Screening - Winter [2]  Porous
Shade Percentage [1]  80 %
Temperature Reduction [1]  Low
Wind Reduction [1]  Low
Bloom Period [2]  Mid Spring
Drought Tolerance [2]  None
Edible [3]  May be edible. See the Plants For A Future link below for details.
Fire Tolerance [2]  None
Flower Type [3]  Hermaphrodite
Frost Free Days [2]  4 months 8 days
Fruit/Seed Begin [2]  Spring
Fruit/Seed End [2]  Summer
Growth Form [2]  Thicket Forming
Growth Period [2]  Spring
Hazards [3]  Although no specific mention has been seen for this species, it belongs to a genus where most, if not all members of the genus produce hydrogen cyanide, a poison that gives almonds their characteristic flavour. This toxin is found mainly in the leaves and seed and is readily detected by its bitter taste. It is usually present in too small a quantity to do any harm but any very bitter seed or fruit should not be eaten. In small quantities, hydrogen cyanide has been shown to stimulate respiration and improve digestion, it is also claimed to be of benefit in the treatment of cancer. In excess, however, it can cause respiratory failure and even death.
Leaf Type [3]  Deciduous
Lifespan [2]  Perennial
Pollinators [3]  Insects, Lepidoptera
Root Depth [2]  36 inches (91 cm)
Seed Spread Rate [2]  Moderate
Seeds Per [2]  4875 / lb (10748 / kg)
Shape/Orientation [2]  Erect
Specific Gravity [4]  0.5
Structure [3]  Tree
Usage [3]  A green dye can be obtained from the leaves; A dark grey to green dye can be obtained from the fruit; The inner bark has been used as an astringent colour fixative in dyeing with other plants; Wood - hard, moderately heavy, close grained; It weighs 43lb per cubic foot; The tree is too small to be used commercially;
Flower Color [2]  Red
Foliage Color [2]  Green
Fruit Color [2]  Orange
Height [3]  30 feet (9 m)
Width [1]  21 feet (6.3 m)
Hardiness Zone Minimum [1]  USDA Zone: 3 Low Temperature: -40 F° (-40 C°) → -30 F° (-34.4 C°)
Hardiness Zone Maximum [1]  USDA Zone: 6 Low Temperature: -10 F° (-23.3 C°) → 0 F° (-17.8 C°)
Light Preference [2]  Full Sun
Soil Acidity [2]  Neutral
Water Use [1]  Moderate
View Plants For A Future Record : Prunus nigra

Protected Areas

Predators

Acronicta superans (Splendid Dagger Moth)[5]
Pandemis canadana (Green Aspen Leaftier Moth)[5]
Sphinx chersis (Great Ash Sphinx)[5]
Synanthedon pictipes (Lesser Peachtree Borer)[5]

Range Map

External References

USDA Plant Profile

NatureServe Explorer

Citations

Attributes / relations provided by
♦ 1i-Tree Species v. 4.0, developed by the USDA Forest Service's Northern Research Station and SUNY-ESF using the Horticopia, Inc. plant database.
♦ 2USDA Plants Database, U. S. Department of Agriculture
♦ 3Plants For A Future licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
♦ 4Forest Inventory and Analysis DB version 5.1, May 4, 2013, U.S. Forest Service
♦ 5HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants Gaden S. Robinson, Phillip R. Ackery, Ian J. Kitching, George W. Beccaloni AND Luis M. Hernández
Abstract provided by DBpedia licensed under a Creative Commons License
Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0