Buttonbush vs Opata Cherry Plum - TreeTime.ca

Buttonbush vs Opata Cherry Plum

Prunus besseyi x salicina Opata

Cephalanthus occidentalis

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Opata Cherry Plum
Buttonbush

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.

Buttonbush is a moisture loving shrub that provides year round interest.

It has round, fragrant flowers resembling small buttons or pincushions. The flowers transform into small reddish-brown fruit that persists into winter while the leaves take on shades of red in fall.

Providing essential food to bees, butterflies, and other insects, this shrub is versatile. Try it in your next shrub border.

Opata Cherry Plum Quick Facts

Buttonbush Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 4a
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Spread: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: any
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: long
Suckering: medium
Suckering: low
Maintenance: medium
Maintenance: medium


Flowers: large, white, spherical
Fruit: skin green and red, flesh yellow-green
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


Native to: ON, QC, NS, NB
Other Names: opata chum, opata plum cherry