Japanese name: ベニバスモモ Scientific name:Prunus cerasifera ‘Atropurpurea’
[Overview]
A cultivar of the cherry plum (Myrobalan plum).
A deciduous small tree 8–12 m tall.
The leaves are reddish purple.
The leaves are simple and alternate, oblong, 3–7 cm long, with serrations on the margin.
Umbels or corymbs in the leaf axils bear white or pale pink flowers 2–3 cm across with 5 petals.
The fruit is 2–3 cm across and ripens red.
[Uses]
The fruit is eaten, and the leaves are used medicinally.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed, grafting, or cuttings.
It prefers sunny, well-drained, fertile soil.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient unless summer brings a long spell of sunny weather and the soil becomes severely dry.
Apply organic fertilizer three times a year: in winter in February, after flowering as a thank-you fertilizer, and in autumn.
Thin the fruit once it has set.
Prune in winter, thinning out long branches that bear only leaf buds.
Pests and diseases include powdery mildew, black spot, aphids, stink bugs, spider mites, and leaf rollers.
