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Rosaceae
Japanese Plum Flower
Prunus mume
Perseverance through adversity and the promise of spring.
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Genus
- Prunus
- Native to
- China, Japan, Korea
- Bloom season
- Late Winter, Early Spring
- Type
- deciduous tree
- Height
- 4–10 m
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- well-drained, fertile
- Water
- medium
- Hardiness
- 6–9
- Lifespan
- over 100 years; some specimens centuries old
Did you know
- Prunus mume blooms in the coldest months, sometimes flowering while snow still covers the ground, earning it a symbol of endurance.
- It is one of the 'Three Friends of Winter' in East Asian art, alongside bamboo and pine.
- The fruit is used to make umeboshi (pickled plum), a staple condiment in Japanese cuisine for over a thousand years.
- Unlike ornamental cherry, Japanese plum flowers are sweetly fragrant and are celebrated in plum blossom festivals.
- Over 300 cultivars exist in Japan alone, bred for flower form, fragrance, or fruit quality.
Color meanings
White
purity and resilience
Pink
renewal and hope
Red
vital energy