Chickasaw Plum
(Prunus angustifolia)

Host Plant: Pale Swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), Coral Hairstreak (Satyrium titus), Herni’s Elfin (Callophrys henrici), and the Luna moth (Actias luna)

Nectar Plant: many insects including other butterflies, bees, and wasps.

Food Source: Birds and mammals

Flower Color: white

Growth Habit: large shrub to small tree growing from 3 to 20 feet and sometimes to 25 feet

Range in North America: Eastern and Mid-western United States and California

Exposure: Prefers full sun to part shade

Hardiness: Zones 5-9

Flowering Time: April to June

Soil Requirements: well-drained soil that is medium in soil moisture

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Categories: Plants, Prunus | Cherries, Plums, and Almonds, Rosaceae | Rose Family Tags: Nectar Plants, Perennial, Rosaceae, Swallowtails

Chickasaw Plum (Prunus angustifolia)

Alternative Names

Cherokee Plum, Sandhill Plum and Sand Plum

Description of Chickasaw Plum (Prunus angustifolia)

Chickasaw Plum (Prunus angustifolia), a member of the Rosaceae (Rose Family), is a large shrub to small tree that grows from 3′ to 20′ tall, sometimes up to 25′ and blooms in the winter to early spring (February to April). The fruits, which are yellow to red drupes (plums), mature in the spring to summer (May to August). More information can be found on this blog post about Chickasaw Plum.

Hosted Species

Pale Swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon)

Pale Swallowtail on a red flower — Pale Swallowtail on Red Flower — ALAN SCHMIERER, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

Eastern tiger swallowtail on flower. — Eastern Tiger Swallowtail — Shenandoah National Park from Virginia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Coral Hairstreak (Satyrium titus)

Henri’s Elfin (Callophrys henrici)

Henry's elfin (Incisalia henrici) on the ground. — *Callophrys henrici* (Grote & Robinson, 1867)
observed in Canada
by Ian Whyte (licensed under http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)

Nectar Species

This species is used by other insects and is food for birds and mammals.

Habitat

This species grows in open areas such as roadsides, thickets, open dry woods, riparian terraces, scrub oak, and streambanks.

Range of Chickasaw Plum (Prunus angustifolia) in the United States and Canada

Interesting Facts

The genus name, Prunus, is Latin for “drupe.” The species name, angustifolia, comes from Latin (angustus – narrow and folium – leaf), meaning narrow leaf.

location	California
usda-plant-hardiness	Zone 10, Zone 9
exposure_requirements	Full Sun, Part Shade/Part Sun
plant_habit	Shrub, Tree
soil_requirements	Dry, Medium, Moist
hosted-species	Lorquin's Admiral (Limenitis lorquini), Papilio eurymedon (Pale Swallowtail), Papilio rutulus (Western Tiger Swallowtail), Satyrium californica (California Hairstreak)

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