The Thundercoud Cherry Plum is a cultivar of Prunus cerasifera . 'Thundercloud' is a small ornamental flowering tree in the rose family, maturing to 25 feet high and wide, and is noted for having one of the darkest purple eaves and twigs of all the flowering plums. Pink blossoms blanket the stems right before the leaves emerge and provide an excellent contrast of pale pink against dark red. This tree does best in full sun, but will tolerate partial shade. However, purple leaf coloring occurs in full sun. Trees in shade tend to produce green leaves. It requires moist, well-drained, loamy soils, but it tolerates many soil conditions. Plant as a specimen or in groupings as a hedge or screen in a Japanese or cottage garden or at the back of a border. Prune right after flowering to maintain shape. It can be propagated through chip budding, grafting or softwood cuttings in the early summer. This cultivar is grown primarily as an ornamental tree and not as a fruit-bearing tree. The showy purple foliage is colorful throughout the growing season. Insects Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Aphids, caterpillars, and leaf miners are occasional insect pests. Diseases include cankers, and wilts. More information on Prunus cerasifera .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
#flowering tree #showy flowers #small tree #spring flowers #pink flowers #fragrant flowers #courtyard garden #flowers late spring #purple stems #red leaves #specimen #purple leaves #cottage garden #border back #problem for cats #problem for dogs #problem for horses #flowers mid-spring #hedge #ornamental tree #Japanese garden #screen #th-taste #th-wildlife
Problems & Resistance
Problems
Problem for Cats; Problem for Dogs; Problem for Horses
Poison severity
Low
Poison parts
Leaves; Seeds; Stems
Poison symptoms
Stems, leaves, seeds contain cyanide, particularly toxic in the process of wilting: brick red mucous membranes, dilated pupils, difficulty breathing, panting, shock.