Canada Plum & American Plum vs Opata Cherry Plum - TreeTime.ca

Canada Plum & American Plum vs Opata Cherry Plum

Prunus besseyi x salicina Opata

Prunus nigra and americana

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

Opata Cherry Plum
Canada Plum & American Plum

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.

Canada and American Plum are almost identical in appearance and growth needs. These plants are short and stout fruit trees native to North America.

This hardy ornamental is excellent for both city dwellings as well as rural areas. During the spring, the white and pink blossoms are long lasting. The tasty fruit is suitable for fresh eating, baking, and preserves. These trees are not widely distributed and pure seed can be hard to come by.

Both are commonly used as rootstock and are considered universal pollinizers for other plum varieties.

Opata Cherry Plum Quick Facts

Canada Plum & American Plum Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 2b
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Spread: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Suckering: medium
Suckering: high
Maintenance: medium


Fall colour: attractive yellow, gold
Bark: grey and scaly with age
Flowers: white
Fruit: skin green and red, flesh yellow-green
Fruit: under 1 inch round yellow fruits with red blush to completely red, tart skin with sweet flesh
Fruit size: 3 cm in diameter
Flavor: pleasant and sweet, hint of acidity
Harvest: mid to late August
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: opata chum, opata plum cherry
Other Names: american plum, black plum, canada plum, horse plum, wild plum