Nanking Cherry vs Tatarian Maple - TreeTime.ca

Nanking Cherry vs Tatarian Maple

Prunus tomentosa

Acer tataricum

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Nanking Cherry
Tatarian Maple

Nanking Cherry is a small deciduous shrub known for its attractive white blossoms and edible fruit. Its dark red berries are excellent for pies, jellies, and even fresh eating.

Nanking Cherry is highly regarded as a shade tolerant fruit. We often see it planted as a hedge on the north side of a house where few other plants will survive, let alone thrive.

Expect fruit mid to late July. The fruit can vary in sweetness and size considerably. We often hear that people prefer it to sour cherries. Perhaps this is because Nanking Cherry is more closely related to plums. In fact, it is sometimes used as a dwarfing rootstock for plums.

Tatarian Maple is a small, multi-stemmed tree that features attractive red foliage in fall.

In addition to its outstanding autumn color, it is also one of the first trees to leaf out in the spring.

Tatarian Maple makes a good specimen tree for for small yards. Closely related to Amur Maple, it is slightly larger in stature.

Nanking Cherry Quick Facts

Tatarian Maple Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 3a
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Height: 5 m (18 ft)
Spread: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Suckering: low
Suckering: none


Fall colour: scarlet red
Flowers: white, early spring
Fruit: scarlet sweet but slightly tart cherries, 8-12 mm diameter
Berries: scarlet sweet but slightly tart cherries, 8-12 mm diameter
Seeds: winged samaras
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


In row spacing: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Between row spacing: 5 m (16 ft)
Other Names: ando cherry, chinese bush cherry, chinese dwarf cherry, downy cherry, hansens bush cherry, korean cherry, manchu cherry, mountain cherry, shanghai cherry
Other Names: tatar maple