Prunus cerasifera
Cherry plum

Cherry plum or myrobalan plum (Prunus cerasifera) is a small deciduous tree native to south-east Europe and western Asia. However, due to many years of cultivation, it now occurs naturally in temperate areas all over the world. Cherry plum is adaptable to a wide variety of climatic and ecological conditions and thrives in woodlands, hedgerows, forest edges, and urban areas. It prefers well-drained soils and full sunlight. It is tolerant to drought, strong wind, and frost.

It is known for its early spring blossoms of white or pink flowers, followed by small, edible plums. These are eaten fresh or used in making soups, juices, jams, and in alcoholic beverages. Cherry plum is one of the most consumed plum species in Türkiye (Çakır et al., 2021). The tree is widely cultivated for its ornamental value and is often used as a rootstock for other plum (Prunus) species. Cherry plum is also important for early pollinators, providing one of the first sources of nectar in spring.

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ex situ genetic conservation unit
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Acknowledgements

This distribution map has been developed by the European Commission Joint Research Centre (partly based on the EUFORGEN map) and released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0)


Caudullo, G., Welk, E., San-Miguel-Ayanz, J., 2017. Chorological maps for the main European woody species. Data in Brief 12, 662-666. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2017.05.007

The following experts have contributed to the development of the EUFORGEN distribution maps:

Fazia Krouchi (Algeria), Hasmik Ghalachyan (Armenia), Thomas Geburek (Austria), Berthold Heinze (Austria), Rudi Litschauer (Austria), Rudolf Litschauer (Austria), Michael Mengl (Austria), Ferdinand Müller (Austria), Franz Starlinger (Austria), Valida Ali-zade (Azerbaijan), Vahid Djalal Hajiyev (Azerbaijan), Karen Cox (Belgium), Bart De Cuyper (Belgium), Olivier Desteucq (Belgium), Patrick Mertens (Belgium), Jos Van Slycken (Belgium), An Vanden Broeck (Belgium), Kristine Vander Mijnsbrugge (Belgium), Dalibor Ballian (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Alexander H. Alexandrov (Bulgaria), Alexander Delkov (Bulgaria), Ivanova Denitsa Pandeva (Bulgaria), Peter Zhelev Stoyanov (Bulgaria), Joso Gracan (Croatia), Marilena Idzojtic (Croatia), Mladen Ivankovic (Croatia), Željka Ivanović (Croatia), Davorin Kajba (Croatia), Hrvoje Marjanovic (Croatia), Sanja Peric (Croatia), Andreas Christou (Cyprus), Xenophon Hadjikyriacou (Cyprus), Václav Buriánek (Czech Republic), Jan Chládek (Czech Republic), Josef Frýdl (Czech Republic), Petr Novotný (Czech Republic), Martin Slovacek (Czech Republic), Zdenek Špišek (Czech Republic), Karel Vancura (Czech Republic), Ulrik Bräuner (Denmark), Bjerne Ditlevsen (Denmark), Jon Kehlet Hansen (Denmark), Jan Svejgaard Jensen (Denmark), Kalev Jðgiste (Estonia), Tiit Maaten (Estonia), Raul Pihu (Estonia), Ülo Tamm (Estonia), Arvo Tullus (Estonia), Aivo Vares (Estonia), Teijo Nikkanen (Finland), Sanna Paanukoski (Finland), Mari Rusanen (Finland), Pekka Vakkari (Finland), Leena Yrjänä (Finland), Daniel Cambon (France), Eric Collin (France), Alexis Ducousso (France), Bruno Fady (France), François Lefèvre (France), Brigitte Musch (France), Sylvie Oddou-Muratorio (France), Luc E. Pâques (France), Julien Saudubray (France), Marc Villar (France), Vlatko Andonovski (FYR Macedonia), Dragi Pop-Stojanov (FYR Macedonia), Merab Machavariani (Georgia), Irina Tvauri (Georgia), Alexander Urushadze (Georgia), Bernd Degen (Germany), Jochen Kleinschmit (Germany), Armin König (Germany), Armin König (Germany), Volker Schneck (Germany), Richard Stephan (Germany), H. H. Kausch-Blecken Von Schmeling (Germany), Georg von Wühlisch (Germany), Iris Wagner (Germany), Heino Wolf (Germany), Paraskevi Alizoti (Greece), Filippos Aravanopoulos (Greece), Andreas Drouzas (Greece), Despina Paitaridou (Greece), Aristotelis C. Papageorgiou (Greece), Kostas Thanos (Greece), Sándor Bordács (Hungary), Csaba Mátyás (Hungary), László Nagy (Hungary), Thröstur Eysteinsson (Iceland), Adalsteinn Sigurgeirsson (Iceland), Halldór Sverrisson (Iceland), John Fennessy (Ireland), Ellen O'Connor (Ireland), Fulvio Ducci (Italy), Silvia Fineschi (Italy), Bartolomeo Schirone (Italy), Marco Cosimo Simeone (Italy), Giovanni Giuseppe Vendramin (Italy), Lorenzo Vietto (Italy), Janis Birgelis (Latvia), Virgilijus Baliuckas (Lithuania), Kestutis Cesnavicius (Lithuania), Darius Danusevicius (Lithuania), Valmantas Kundrotas (Lithuania), Alfas Pliûra (Lithuania), Darius Raudonius (Lithuania), Robert du Fays (Luxembourg), Myriam Heuertz (Luxembourg), Claude Parini (Luxembourg), Fred Trossen (Luxembourg), Frank Wolter (Luxembourg), Joseph Buhagiar (Malta), Eman Calleja (Malta), Ion Palancean (Moldova), Dragos Postolache (Moldova), Gheorghe Postolache (Moldova), Hassan Sbay (Morocco), Tor Myking (Norway), Tore Skrøppa (Norway), Anna Gugala (Poland), Jan Kowalczyk (Poland), Czeslaw Koziol (Poland), Jan Matras (Poland), Zbigniew Sobierajski (Poland), Maria Helena Almeida (Portugal), Filipe Costa e Silva (Portugal), Luís Reis (Portugal), Maria Carolina Varela (Portugal), Ioan Blada (Romania), Alexandru-Lucian Curtu (Romania), Lucian Dinca (Romania), Georgeta Mihai (Romania), Mihai Olaru (Romania), Gheorghe Parnuta (Romania), Natalia Demidova (Russian Federation), Mikhail V. Pridnya (Russian Federation), Andrey Prokazin (Russian Federation), Srdjan Bojovic (Serbia) , Vasilije Isajev (Serbia), Saša Orlovic (Serbia), Rudolf Bruchánik (Slovakia), Roman Longauer (Slovakia), Ladislav Paule (Slovakia), Gregor Bozič (Slovenia), Robert Brus (Slovenia), Katarina Celič (Slovenia), Hojka Kraigher (Slovenia), Andrej Verlič (Slovenia), Marjana Westergren (Slovenia), Ricardo Alía (Spain), Josefa Fernández-López (Spain), Luis Gil Sanchez (Spain), Pablo Gonzalez Goicoechea (Spain), Santiago C. González-Martínez (Spain), Sonia Martin Albertos (Spain), Eduardo Notivol Paino (Spain), María Arantxa Prada (Spain), Alvaro Soto de Viana (Spain), Lennart Ackzell (Sweden), Jonas Bergquist (Sweden), Sanna Black-Samuelsson (Sweden), Jonas Cedergren (Sweden), Gösta Eriksson (Sweden), Markus Bolliger (Switzerland), Felix Gugerli (Switzerland), Rolf Holderegger (Switzerland), Peter Rotach (Switzerland), Marcus Ulber (Switzerland), Sven M.G. de Vries (The Netherlands), Khouja Mohamed Larbi (Tunisia), Murat Alan (Turkey), Gaye Kandemir (Turkey), Gursel Karagöz (Turkey), Zeki Kaya (Turkey), Hasan Özer (Turkey), Hacer Semerci (Turkey), Ferit Toplu (Turkey), Mykola M. Vedmid (Ukraine), Roman T. Volosyanchuk (Ukraine), Stuart A'Hara (United Kingdom), Joan Cottrell (United Kingdom), Colin Edwards (United Kingdom), Michael Frankis (United Kingdom), Jason Hubert (United Kingdom), Karen Russell (United Kingdom), C.J.A. Samuel (United Kingdom).
 

Status of Prunus cerasifera conservation in Europe

Genetic diversity and variation

Cherry plum is a morphologically diverse species with a high level of polymorphism (Horvath, Christmann, and Laigret, 2008). It is considered an outbreeding diploid species, although polyploid forms have been described (Horvath, Christmann, and Laigret, 2008). The species has high genetic diversity within populations from Iran to Belarus, with up to 98% of genetic diversity within populations (Çakır et al., 2021).

Due to the species' long history of cultivation, multiple accessions of the species exist with different haplotypes and high diversity among them (Horvath, Christmann, and Laigret, 2008). However, many accessions have low genetic diversity, which is to be expected in species that have experienced high levels of vegetative propagation (Ayanoğlu et al., 2007). Only accessions in ecologically distinct regions have higher genetic diversity (Ayanoğlu et al., 2007).

Genetic distribution and clustering

Cherry plum shows clustering across Europe, with some populations having higher genetic diversity than others because of differences in average temperature, rainfall, humidity, and the length of growing season where they are found (Ayanoğlu et al., 2007). Three genetic groups were identified in Türkiye (Çakır, 2018). Greater genetic diversity is found in southern populations than northern populations as southern populations contain more glacial refugia (Horvath, Christmann, and Laigret, 2008).

 

The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.

Interspecific taxa dynamics

According to Turkish classification, Prunus cerasifera is represented by several varieties; however, in Europe “Prunus cerasifera” is considered a singular European species (Çakır et al., 2021). Cherry plum has several subspecies described based on morphological characteristics and ecological or geographical criteria, and hybridizations between varieties and subspecies create diverse forms (Horvath, Christmann, and Laigret, 2008). Many subspecies grow naturally in parts of Türkiye (Çakır, 2018).

Cultivation and human intervention

Cherry plum is one of the leading genetic foundations of cultivated plum varieties (Çakır, 2018). Many wild forms and local varieties are grown for their fruit and the species spread across Europe and Asia through trade because of its value in cultivation (Horvath, Christmann, and Laigret, 2008; Çakır et al., 2021). Wild populations are economically valuable as many have desirable traits for cultivation (Ayanoğlu et al., 2007; Çakır et al., 2021). The species is hardy and resistant to biotic and abiotic stress factors, including temperature extremes, hence its use as rootstock for cultivation of other plum species (Çakır et al., 2021). However, cherry plum has not undergone as much interspecific breeding and artificial selection pressure as common plum (Prunus domestica), so typically has higher genetic diversity (Çakır et al., 2021).

 

The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.

Threats

Cherry plum faces threats from habitat loss due to urban development and agricultural expansion, hybridization with cultivated varieties, and diseases such as plum pox virus (sharka).

Management

Conservation of cherry plum should focus on preserving natural habitats, protecting existing wild populations, and maintaining genetic diversity through seed banks and conservation orchards. Monitoring and managing disease outbreaks are crucial for the species' survival. Cherry plum genetic resources should be evaluated to identify lines with characteristics useful to address future biotic, abiotic, and climatic challenges (Çakır et al., 2021). Promoting the use of cherry plum in landscaping and as rootstock can help maintain its genetic presence.

 

The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.

Genetic Characterisation of Prunus cerasifera and its GCUs

Availability of FRM

FOREMATIS

Contacts of experts

NA

Further reading

No available research.

References

Ayanoğlu, H., Bayazit, S., Inan, G., Bakır, M., Akpınar, A.E., Kazan, K., and Ergül, A. 2007. AFLP analysis of genetic diversity in Turkish green plum accessions (Prunus cerasifera L.) adapted to the Mediterranean region. Scientia Horticulturae, 114(4): 263–267.

Çakır, G. 2018. Molecular genetic analyses in Turkish plum (Prunus cerasifera). Doctoral dissertation, Izmir Institute of Technology, Türkiye.

Çakır, G., Taşcıoğlu, T., Çavdar, A., Doğanlar, S., Frary, A., and Frary, A. 2021. Molecular genetic characterization of the Turkish national green plum (Prunus cerasifera Ehrh.) collection. ANADOLU Ege Tarımsal Araştırma Enstitüsü Dergisi, 31(1): 61–73.

Horvath, A., Christmann, H., and Laigret, F. 2008. Genetic diversity and relationships among Prunus cerasifera (cherry plum) clones. Botany, 86(11): 1311–1318.

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