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Mexican Plum

Prunus mexicana

Other common name(s):

Bigtree Plum, Inch Plum

Family:

Rosaceae (Rose Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Carbonate Cross Timbers, Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift
Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Tree

Height

15
to
35
ft.

Spread

15
to
20
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Rocky, Well Drained

Light Requirement

Sun

Water Requirement

Low

Native Habitat

Woodland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White, Pink

Bloom Season

Spring

Seasonal Interest

Fruit, Nectar, Larval Host

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Birds, Moths, Bees

Maintenance

Provide good drainage and deep soil. Summer and Fall: Prune for to fit garden space or to raise canopy for walkways if needed. Refrain from pruning late in winter as blooms form on old wood in spring. Propagation: Softwood Cuttings, Root cuttings, Hardwood cuttings, Semi-hardwood cuttings, Softwood cuttings Seed.

Comments

Blooms February-April. Single-trunked, non-suckering; great understory tree. Earliest spring bloomer with fragrant, showy, white flowers before leaves appear. Plums turn yellow to mauve to purple July through September. Can be messy so don’t plant near paved surfaces or in rain gardens. Fruit is eaten by birds, deer, and insects. Larval Host: Cecropia Moths and Tiger Swallowtail.
Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonym(s): Prunus americana var. lanata, Prunus lanata, Prunus mexicana var. flutonensis, Prunus mexicana var. polyandra, Prunus pensylvanica var. mollis

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 48, 53. 3) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 298. 4) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PRME. 5) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Prunus+mexicana&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 6) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=21574&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 7) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=24791#null, 8) Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, City of Austin and Texas A&M, 2014.

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State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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