Other Names:  Japanese Plum

Description:

This selection is a bearer of firm, heart shaped fruit, with sweet, juicy, blood red flesh; an upright spreading tree that is quite compact and ornamental; needs full sun and well-drained soil; requires pollination from another Japanese plum variety

Edible Qualities

Elephant Heart Plum is a small tree that is commonly grown for its edible qualities. It produces gold heart-shaped fruit (technically 'drupes') with a dark red blush and crimson flesh which are usually ready for picking in mid summer. The fruit will often fade to deep purple over time. Note that the fruits have hard inedible pits inside which must be removed before eating or processing. The fruits have a sweet taste and a juicy texture.

The fruit are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Cooking
• Baking
• Preserves
• Sauces

Features & Attributes

Elephant Heart Plum is smothered in stunning clusters of fragrant white flowers along the branches in early spring before the leaves. It has forest green deciduous foliage. The pointy leaves turn yellow in fall. The fruits are showy gold drupes with a dark red blush and which fade to deep purple over time, which are carried in abundance from early to mid summer.

This is a deciduous tree with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Messy
• Disease

Aside from its primary use as an edible, Elephant Heart Plum is sutiable for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Orchard/Edible Landscaping

Planting & Growing

Elephant Heart Plum will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 3 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more. This variety requires a different selection of the same species growing nearby in order to set fruit.

This tree is typically grown in a designated area of the yard because of its mature size and spread. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.