Canada Plum vs Witch Hazel - TreeTime.ca

Canada Plum vs Witch Hazel

Prunus nigra

Hamamelis virginiana

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Canada Plum
Witch Hazel

Canada Plum is a cold-hardy wild plum native to North America with small red fruit. They ripen in mid to late summer, with bitter, astringent skin surrounding sweet, slightly acidic flesh that clings to the stone. While some enjoy eating the plums fresh, they are more commonly used for baking and preserves. It is considered a universal pollinizer for other plum varieties and is often used for grafting or as a rootstock.

White to pink flowers appear in spring, often before the leaves, providing an early source of nectar and pollen for native bees and other pollinators. Birds and other wildlife also feed on the fruit, adding to its ecological value. Canada Plum can grow as a small tree or large, multi-stemmed shrub. It is well suited to a variety of projects, including fruit orchards for cross-pollination, as well as pollinator plantings, naturalization, and restoration projects.

Witch Hazel is a deciduous shrub, or small tree, with a short trunk, bearing numerous spreading, crooked branches.

The seeds grow in a long, wooden pod with two to four seeds per pod. Upon ripening, the pods burst, firing the seeds up to 30km an hour.

The leaf and bark extract of Witch Hazel has been used as a remedy to common ailments such as inflammation, bruises and much more for many centuries.

Canada Plum Quick Facts

Witch Hazel Quick Facts

Zone: 2b
Zone: 3a
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Height: 6 m (20 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: any
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: long
Suckering: high
Suckering: medium


Fall colour: attractive yellow, gold
Bark: grey and scaly with age
Flowers: white
Fruit: under 1 inch round yellow fruits with red blush to completely red, tart skin with sweet flesh
Seeds: seeds ejected to a distance of up to 30 ft
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: MB, ON, QC, NB
Native to: ON, QC, NS, NB, PE
Other Names: american plum, black plum, canada plum, horse plum, wild plum