BOTANICAL NAME
PRUNUS x. cistena

COMMON NAME
Purple Sand Cherry/Cistina Plum

DESCRIPTION
Although commonly called the Purple Sandcherry, this plant is actually a dwarf shrub-form of plum. The Purple Sand Cherry has rich burgundy colored leaves and produces single pale, pinkish-white flowers in May. Purple Sand Cherries are cold tolerant and prefer full sun, which helps them maintain their rich burgundy color. These plants can survive in partial shade; however the shade causes their leaves to develop a greenish tinge. While usually left to grow in its natural shrub form, the Purple Sand Cherry can be shaped to resemble a dwarf tree with regular pruning to remove its lower branches. Without regular pruning, this plant will quickly revert back to its fuller shrub-form. The Purple Sand Cherry reaches a mature size of 7 feet high and 7 feet wide.

HARDINESS ZONE
2 (-50˚ F to -40˚ F)