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Native Plant Propagation Guidelines:
shrubs

Oemleria cerasiformis (Indian-plum)

Category: 
shrubs

Indian plum (photo by Dave Polster)

Medium to tall shrub, 1-5 m tall; stems clumped, arching; pith chambered; bark bitter, purplish-brown. Leaves: Alternate, deciduous, lanceolate to oblong-egg-shaped or elliptic, short-stalked, the stalks 5-10 mm long, the blades 5-12 cm long, not toothed, pale green and smooth above, paler and often sparsely hairy below; crushed leaves smell like cucumber. Flowers: Inflorescences loose, drooping, bracted, 5- to 10-cm long clusters, at the ends of short axillary branchlets, of several (five to ten) stalked flowers; flowers mostly unisexual, the male and female flowers on separate plants, appearing very early in the year, as the leaves develop; corollas greenish-white, saucer- to cup-shaped, about 1 cm across, the petals five, egg-shaped, 5-6 mm long, spreading (shorter, narrower and erect on female flowers); calyces 6-7 mm long, five lobed, the lobes about equaling the top-shaped hypanthium; ovaries (female plants) usually five, superior; stamens 15. Fruits: Fleshy drupes, like small plums with a large stone, bean-shaped, about 1 cm long, peach-coloured, ripening to bluish-black with a whitish bloom, one to five per female flower; seeds one per drupe (Pojar et al., 1994). Photo by Dave Polster.

Scientific Name: 

Oemleria cerasiformis (Hook & Arn.) Landon (Osmaronia cerasiformis [T. & G.] Greene)

Family: 
Rosaceae
English Name: 
Indian-plum
Other Names: 
osoberry, choke-cherries

Geographical Range and Habitat Requirements

Ecological Setting: 

Moist to dry open forests, forest edges, thickets, stream banks, clearings and roadsides in lowland zone (Douglas et al., 1999).

Soil Texture: 

In broad-leaved forests on water-receiving sites, soils are melanized and often gleyed. Moder and Mull humus forms (Klinka et al., 1999).

Nutrients: 

Nitrogen-rich soils (Klinka et al., 1999).

Soil Reaction and Salinity: 

pH 5.5 to 7.5 (Young 2001).

Moisture Regime: 

Moist to very moist, often with fluctuating water table (Klinka et al., 1999).

Shade Tolerance: 

Shade to full sun (Klinka et al., 1999).

Successional Status: 

Pioneer seral on moist sites. Persists into late seral stages because of shade tolerance.

BEC Zone and GOE Community Status: 

Moist stream sides, often associated with red-osier dogwood, blue elderberry and snowberry.

Uses

Site Rehabilitation: 

Good soil-binding qualities on moist sites. Possible bio-engineering species (Washington State Department of Ecology, 1993).

Wildlife: 

Good wildlife value - fruits attract birds and mammals.

Landscaping: 

Use in shrub border or use as a specimen tree, also in large rockery. Good foliage colour. First to leaf out in spring and turns bright yellow in late summer/fall. Somewhat attractive bark. Could use as a hedge or privacy screen (S. Bastin, personal communication).

First Nations: 

Berries eaten in small quantities - fresh, cooked or dried. Some First Nations made a purgative tonic out of the bark (Pojar et al., 1994).

Other Uses: 
n/a

Seed Propagation

Flowering Time: 

Early spring

Fruit Ripening Time: 

April to May

Seed Collection Time: 

May to June

Crop Intervals: 

Annual to semi-annual

Number of Seeds per Kilogram: 

4000

Seed Viability: 

>30%

Fruit and Seed Collection and Extraction: 

Fruits should be hand-picked. Extract seed by maceration in water using a blender and float off the pulp.

Seed Storage: 

Seed is best sown in autumn and stratified over winter. Seeds should be stored in sealed containers at 2-4º C.

Fruit/Seed Dormancy and Treatment: 

Soak seeds in water for 24 hours and stratify 60 to 80 days at 4º C.

Vegetative Propagation

Method Success Rate Time of Collection
Softwood cuttings Good June
Semi-hardwood cuttings Good July - August
Hardwood cuttings Moderate Late winter
Root cuttings    
Suckers Good Late winter
Plant division Good Late winter

 

Outplanting Characteristics and Requirements

Plant in sun to partial shade in moist to dry soil. Best left unpruned so allow room for spread/height (S. Bastin, personal communication). If pruning is necessary, remove suckers and cut old shoots back to the base in late winter (Greene, 2001).

Seed and Cutting Propagation Techniques

n/a

Additional Information and Photos

For more information and pictures, visit the E-Flora BC website at www.eflora.bc.ca.

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