Falsebox vs American Plum - TreeTime.ca

Falsebox vs American Plum

Paxistima myrsinites

Prunus americana

CUSTOM GROW

COMING SOON

Falsebox
American Plum

Falsebox is a hardy, native evergreen shrub found in forests, rocky slopes, and open woodland sites. Though small and easily overlooked among the leaves, the maroon flowers still supply nectar and pollen for pollinators such as native bees and flies. Blooming in spring, they provide an important early-season food source. Its year-round greenery adds visual interest through the winter.

Falsebox is a low-growing shrub that tolerates a wide range of conditions, including drought once established. It thrives particularly well beneath the shade of mature trees, where few other plants succeed. With its resilience and ecological value, Falsebox is well-suited for naturalization, restoration projects, and diverse landscape plantings.

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.

Falsebox Quick Facts

American Plum Quick Facts

Zone: 5a
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Height: 6 m (20 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 6 m (20 ft)
Light: any
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: slow
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: prostrate to spreading
Growth form: rounded to spreading, thicket forming
Spreading: layering - medium
Spreading: suckering - high
Maintenance: medium


Toxicity: leaves, stems, pits contain cyanide
Foliage: evergreen, leathery leaves
Fall colour: gold to orange
Bark: reddish-brown
Flowers: small, maroon-purple, fragrant
Flowers: fragrant, white
Bloom time: summer
Bloom time: early to mid spring
Fruit: small, red plums
Fruit size: 2-3cm in diameter
Firmness: firm
Harvest: mid to late summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC
Native to: SK, MB, ON
Other Names: false box, mountain boxwood, mountain lover, myrtle boxwood, oregon boxleaf, oregon boxwood
Other Names: american wild plum, wild plum