Purple Leaf Sand Cherry vs Opata Cherry Plum - TreeTime.ca

Purple Leaf Sand Cherry vs Opata Cherry Plum

Prunus x cistena

Prunus besseyi x salicina Opata

ONLY AVAILABLE BY CONTRACT GROW

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

Purple Leaf Sand Cherry
Opata Cherry Plum

Purple Leaf Sand Cherry provides bright reddish-purple leaves that turn bronze-green in the fall. In the spring, tiny flowers with a pinkish white hue bloom. The flowers are small, but the impact comes from the shrub blossoming all at once.

The Purple leaf sand cherry can be susceptible to pests and diseases in more humid areas; a typical life span is approximately 15 years. Not suitable for a privacy hedge on its own but is often alternated with lilacs. Often used as an accent plant that attracts birds and bees.

Opata Cherry Plum is considered to be one of the best tasting Cherry Plum varieties. It has a pleasant, sweet flavour and a hint of acidity. They ripen in mid to late August and are well suited to fresh eating, baking, and preserves.

The fruit is closer to a plum than a cherry but is smaller than most plums.The Opata Cherry Plum’s skin is red/green whereas the flesh is yellow-green. The flesh is freestone with a juicy, firm texture. Similar to other stone fruits, it does not store for very long.

The Opata Cherry Plum is a hybrid between a Western Sand Cherry and a Japanese (Chinese) Plum. For fruit production, it needs to be planted with another variety for cross-pollination. Canada Plum and American Plum are considered universal pollinizers.

Purple Leaf Sand Cherry Quick Facts

Opata Cherry Plum Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 2a
Height: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Spread: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Spread: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal
Light: any
Light: full sun
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no
Fall colour: dark red
Fruit size: 3 cm in diameter
Flavor: pleasant and sweet, hint of acidity
Harvest: mid to late August
Flowers: pinkish
Bark: dark red to purple
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: short
Maintenance: medium
Suckering: low
Suckering: medium



Toxicity: the leaves and seed are slightly toxic

Other Names: purpleleaf sandcherry
Other Names: opata chum, opata plum cherry