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Rosaceae
Indian Plum
Oemleria cerasiformis
First breath of spring.
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Genus
- Oemleria
- Native to
- Pacific Northwest, California
- Bloom season
- Late Winter, Early Spring
- Type
- shrub
- Height
- 6-15 ft
- Sunlight
- part shade to full shade
- Soil
- moist, well-drained, fertile woodland
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 5-9
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Indian plum is often the very first shrub to flower in the Pacific Northwest, blooming in January or February while snow may still be on the ground.
- It is dioecious: male plants bear the most showy, fragrant white flower clusters; female plants produce the small, plum-like blue-black fruits prized by wildlife.
- The flowers emit a distinctive almond-like fragrance — caused by benzaldehyde compounds — that can be detected from several feet away on warm winter days.
- It is the only species in its genus, making it a monotypic relict species — a lineage with no close living relatives in the rose family.
- The fruits were eaten by many Pacific Northwest indigenous peoples, though they are bitter and astringent to most human tastes; bears, birds, and coyotes relish them.
Color meanings
0
early hope
1
transition
2
woodland renewal