Fruit tree

Japanese plum

Prunus salicina

Japanese plum (Prunus salicina) is a tree in the Rosaceae family.

🌷 Fruit tree

Japanese plum is a popular fruit tree. It's on our flower lists for 15 states.

0states where USDA records it

15Bloomipedia state lists include it

4U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 23, 2026. Our state lists also include states where people grow it in gardens, so they can outnumber USDA's wild-plant records. Planted garden trees are mostly excluded from research grade.

On our lists for: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington

Quick look

Prunus salicina, commonly called the Chinese plum or Japanese plum, is a small, deciduous tree native to China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. It is an introduced species in Korea, Japan, the United States, and Australia.
From Wikipedia's article Prunus salicina, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Rosaceae family. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #115 among the 132 flowers on our Arizona list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1 research-grade sightings of it in California, ranking #141 among the 178 flowers on our California list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1 research-grade sightings of it in Ohio, ranking #156 among the 186 flowers on our Ohio list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1 records)

Bloom time in the 15 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Arizona	🌷 Garden	few records (1)	1
California	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	1
Ohio	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	1
Arkansas	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Colorado	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Georgia	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Kentucky	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Massachusetts	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
North Carolina	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
New Mexico	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
New York	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Oregon	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Texas	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Virginia	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Washington	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)

Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}

NatureServe

Unknown We couldn't find this name in NatureServe Explorer. ^NatureServe

State rare plant lists

Not listed Not on the official rare plant list in 12 of our 15 states.

See each state

Arizona: Not listed Not on Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025). ^{AAC R3-3 App. A}
California: Not listed Not on California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026). ^{CNDDB listed plants (July 2026)}
Ohio: Not listed Not on Ohio endangered and threatened plants (Ohio Adm. Code 1501:18-1-03, eff. Dec. 26, 2024). ^{OAC 1501:18-1-03}
Georgia: Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
Kentucky: Not listed Not on Kentucky endangered and threatened plant lists (400 KAR 3:040, eff. 2026). ^{400 KAR 3:040}
Massachusetts: Not listed Not on Massachusetts Endangered Species Act list (321 CMR 10.90). ^{MESA list}
North Carolina: Not listed Not on North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301). ^{02 NCAC 48F .0301}
New Mexico: Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). ^{19.21.2.9 NMAC}
New York: Not listed Not on New York protected native plants (6 NYCRR § 193.3). ^{6 NYCRR § 193.3}
Oregon: Not listed Not on Oregon endangered and threatened plants (OAR 603-073-0070). ^{OAR 603-073-0070}
Texas: Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. ^{31 TAC 69.8}
Virginia: Not listed Not on Virginia endangered and threatened plant and insect species (2VAC5-320-10). ^2VAC5-320-10

Arkansas

No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead.

Colorado

No list Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead.

Washington

No list Washington has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the Washington Natural Heritage Program's rare plant list isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Washington ranks instead.

Checked October 23, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleEdible (per NC State Extension)

NC State Extension notes: “Fruits are edible raw or cooked. Fruit can be candied or made into a liqueur, pies, preserves or dried” ^{NC State Extension}

For petsToxic to dogs, cats and horses

ASPCA's entry “Cherry” (Prunus spp), which covers the whole genus, lists it as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Signs include: Stems, leaves, seeds contain cyanide, particularly toxic in the process of wilting: brick red mucous membranes, dilated pupils, difficulty breathing, panting… ^ASPCA

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.