Plum, Chickasaw

Chickasaw Plum (Prunus angustifolia)

A low, spreading native plum for sunny thickets and habitat edges. Its early flowers and summer fruit fit plantings where dense cover is as useful as a harvest.

Key Characteristics

An intentionally spreading plum

Chickasaw plum sends up suckers and can form a colony. Give it a defined area or mow and remove shoots along the boundary you want to keep.

Shelter plus a summer food crop

Dense stems shelter songbirds and small mammals. The foliage also supports eastern tiger swallowtail and red-spotted purple caterpillars.

Tart fruit for preserves

Yellow to red plums are useful in jelly and cooked preserves. Seedlings vary, so do not expect uniform size or dessert sweetness.

Choose a known species

This listing is Prunus angustifolia. Compare American Plum for a generally larger native plum, or Wild Plum for stock without a guaranteed species identity.

Product Details

• Plant type: Deciduous perennial shrub
• Native range: Central and southeastern North America
• Sun: Full Sun; Part Sun/Shade
• Soil moisture: Medium; Medium-Dry; Dry
• Mature height: 4–15 feet
• Bloom: March–April; White
• Fruit: Small red or yellow plums, often tart; suited to jelly, preserves, and wildlife food.
• Harvest: May–July
• Pollination: For dependable fruiting, plant genetically different Chickasaw plums with overlapping bloom. Independently seed-grown plants can be different even with the same common name; suckers from one colony are clones. Our bare-root chickasaw plum seedlings are a same-species option for adding seed-grown plants. Do not assume an unspecified Wild Plum or a Japanese orchard plum is a compatible partner.
• Hardiness: USDA zones 5–8

Planting and Ongoing Care

Water the root ball before planting and set the plant at its original growing depth. Water through establishment, mulch clear of the trunk or stems, and protect young growth from browsing. Use a soil test to guide amendments. Give the mature canopy room and leave unsprayed flowering and habitat areas for visiting insects.

Flowers, Caterpillars, and Cover

Spring flowers provide nectar and pollen for visiting insects. The leaves support coral hairstreak and red-spotted purple caterpillars, and a suckering thicket gives songbirds and small mammals cover. Fruit varies in sweetness and tartness and is useful in jelly and preserves. Give spreading stems a deliberate boundary, and remove pits before food preparation.