A small utility-friendly tree with shiny, heart-shaped leaves. Redbud ( Cercis canadensis, ‘Forest Pansy’): Native to eastern North America. Leaves may take on shades of olive green in shadier planting locations. This brand-new cultivar matures at just 6 feet tall by 4 feet wide with an upright, vase-shaped growth habit and rich, dark purple leaves. Japanese Snowbell ( Styrax japonicus, ‘Evening Light’): Native to China, Japan, and Korea. Evening light snowbell in the Schmidt Arboretum. Evaluate the unique characteristics of each tree before selecting the right tree for the right place. The following trees are alternative purple-leaved trees that deserve your consideration if leaf color is non-negotiable.Īside from leaf color, other characteristics of the following trees can differ greatly from purpleleaf plums. That inspiration to spend money has captured the attention of the nursery trade, which has responded in spades to meet our demands for pretty, purple leaves. Dirr remarks on the over-planting of purpleleaf plum, “…there is something about a purple-leaved beast that inspires people to spend money.” In his book, “Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, Sixth Edition,” retired Horticulture Professor Michael A. A diverse urban forest is a healthy urban forest, but with so many purpleleaf plums out there in the landscape there’s really no reason to plant more of them. People love them and they are EVERYWHERE as a result. Their small size at maturity makes them an option for constrained urban planting spaces, such as those near powerlines.įundamentally there is nothing wrong with purpleleaf plum trees but that’s the problem. To their credit, purpleleaf plums are hardy and adaptable trees with attractive spring blooms and tolerance for urban stresses. Popular cultivars of purpleleaf plum trees include ‘Autropurpea,’ ‘Thundercloud,’ and ‘Krauter Vesuvius’. What is it about purple leaves that people find so attractive? Whatever the reason, purple-leaved trees are here to stay and none is more prevalent in the Northwest than purpleleaf plum (Prunus cerasifera or Prunus x blireanna). Introduced into cultivation by Karl Krauter of Krauter Nursery in Bakersfield, California in 1957.Even in Olympia purple leaf plums are over-planted, however these may be the right tree for the right place in this particular instance. cerasifera 'Thundercloud', except its immature leaves are a slightly darker red. 'Krauter Vesuvius' is very similar in appearance to P. Foliage retains excellent color throughout the growing season. Serrate, ovate to elliptic leaves (to 2.5” long) emerge deep red in spring, but mature to dark reddish-purple. It is a very popular ornamental landscape tree, in large part because its showy purple foliage and its profuse spring bloom of pink flowers. 'Krauter Vesuvius' is purple-leaved cultivar that typically grows as a dense, upright-rounded tree to 15-20' tall. Specific epithet is derived from the Latin words cerasus meaning cherry tree and ferre meaning to bear. Genus name from Latin means plum or cherry tree. Myrobalan is derived from the Greek words myron (plant juice) and balanos (nut). Species is sometimes used as a rootstock for other stone fruits. Species plants are uncommonly sold in commerce, but a number of purple-leaved cultivars have become quite popular. Ovate, elliptic or obovate, thin, serrate leaves (to 2.5” long). Flowers are followed by small edible fruits (to 1” diameter) that are sweet but somewhat tasteless. Very fragrant, mostly solitary, 5-petaled, white flowers (to 1” across) bloom in early spring. This is a small, sometimes spiny, deciduous tree typically growing to 15-30’ tall with a shrubby, spreading, rounded habit. Naturalization has occurred in the U.S., primarily in the northeast and far west. Today, it only exists in cultivation except for the many situations where it has escaped gardens and naturalized. Prunus cerasifera, commonly called cherry plum or Myrobalan plum, is native to western Asia and the Caucasus.
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