Opata Cherry Plum vs 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.

American Plum is a cold-hardy wild plum native to North America that grows as a small tree or large multi-stemmed shrub. Small, firm, red plums ripen from mid to late summer; the skin is tough and tart, whereas the flesh is sweet and juicy. While some enjoy eating them 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.

In spring, American Plum produces abundant white to pink flowers that attract a variety of pollinators, providing an important early-season source of nectar and pollen. It also serves as a host plant for numerous moth and butterfly species. In its native range, it is recognized as an important keystone plant, as it has a disproportionately large impact on local ecosystems.

American Plum tolerates a wide range of soil conditions, from acidic to alkaline, and heavy clay. It is well suited to a variety of projects, including fruit orchards for cross-pollination, as well as pollinator plantings, naturalization, and restoration projects.

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