Purple Leaf Sand Cherry

Purple Leaf Sand Cherry (Prunus × cistena), or dwarf red-leaf plum, is a hybrid species of a cross between Prunus cerasifera and Prunus pumila. Purple Leaf Sand Cherry is an upright deciduous shrub that grows 6-10’ tall and 5-8’ wide. It also may be trained as a small tree. It is well known for its reddish-purple foliage that retains good color throughout the summer. Ovate-elliptical leaves with serrate margins are distinctive and attractive reddish-purple. Fragrant, solitary, white flowers with pink tints bloom in spring after the foliage emerges. Flowers give way to an often meager production of small blackish-purple fruits that mature in July. Birds love to eat their fruit.