MOUNT ROYAL PLUM - PRUNUS 'MOUNT ROYAL'

Common Name: Mount Royal plum

Scientific Name: 
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Prunus
Species: P. domestica 'Mount Royal'

Hardiness Zone: 4 to 7
Height: 10 to 12 ft
Width: 8 to 10 ft

Common characteristics:

Mount Royal plum is a variety of European plum (P. domestica). It has dark green foliage throughout the season with leaves that turn yellow in fall. This tree is a self-pollinator. The flowers are white, showy, fragrant, and bloom in the spring. Blue drupes are ripe in August and are sweet and tender. They can be eaten fresh, dried, or in baked goods. The dark green foliage turns yellow in the autumn. The expected average age is 40 years in ideal conditions.

Where it grows:

Mount Royal plum needs full sun and even soil moisture. It is tolerant of inner-city environments, soil type, and most pH levels. The fruit can be messy if it is not harvested. Maintenance is needed for this tree; pruning should be done in late winter after an extreme cold.

How it’s used:

It can be used in an edible landscape, orchard, under power lines, or as a specimen tree. Ideally planted as a stand-alone tree due to a wide opening canopy. 

Ecosystem services:

The fruit of this tree will be sought after by birds and small mammals. 

Where it is native to:

Native to Europe but used in Minnesota due to its cold hardiness. 

Problems:

Be on the lookout for plum aphids, caterpillars, fruit tree red spider mite, brown scale, plum moth, bullfinches, silver leaf, bacterial canker, and brown rot. 

References:

Gertens

Gardenia