Side by side
Plum or wild cherry? How to tell them apart
Prunus domestica · Prunus avium
How to tell them apart – plum: fruit tree with dull, toothed leaves, white blossom in April and plums; wild cherry: shiny bark with horizontal bands, and cherries.
How do you recognise them?
- Plum
- Fruit tree with dull, toothed leaves, white blossom in April and plums.
- Wild cherry
- Glossy red-brown bark with horizontal bands; leaf with two red glands on the stalk.
- Compared with plum: shiny bark with horizontal bands, and cherries.
| Plum | Wild cherry | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, elliptical, 4–10 cm, toothed and dull; somewhat hairy underneath. | Alternate, obovate with a pointed tip, 6–15 cm, coarsely toothed, slightly drooping. Two small red glands at the top of the leaf stalk. |
| Flowering | White flowers in small clusters in April, just before or with the leaves (April). | White flowers in clusters, in April, just before or with the leaves (April). |
| Fruit | Blue, purple, yellow or green plums with a flat stone (August–September). | Small, dark red, sweet cherries in June–July; loved by birds. |
| Bark | Dark greyish-brown and cracked. | Glossy red-brown, peeling in horizontal bands, with horizontal lines of lenticels. |
| Shape and height | Fruit tree, 4–8 m | Fruit tree, 15–25 m |
| Site | Full sun, any garden soil, normal | Full sun, any garden soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | No, naturalised | Yes |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for bees and butterflies | Yes, for bees, butterflies and birds |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | June–August | June–August |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Wild cherry is native: it feeds more insects and birds than a non-native species. If in doubt, choose this one.
- Wild cherry grows 15–25 m tall: too big for an ordinary garden, but fine in a large garden, a park or a meadow.
Read on
- Plant profile: Plum
- Plant profile: Wild cherry
- Plum: when and how to prune
- Wild cherry: when and how to prune
- Identification key: the question that separates them
Also looks like
- Wild cherry or Japanese cherry
- Wild cherry or sour cherry
- Apricot or plum
- Apple or plum
- Cherry plum or plum
- Plum or blackthorn
- Bird cherry or wild cherry
- St Lucie cherry or wild cherry
Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.