You can’t help but notice the beautiful flowering trees this time of year. I stopped to take some pictures of the plum blossoms this week and had a number of people comment on the beautiful cherry blossoms I was photographing. Wait a minute. Was I looking at a plum tree or a cherry tree? I’m far from an expert in flowering fruit trees, so I decided to do a little research and share what I learned with you.
Cherry and plum trees typically bloom in February to early March in this part of North Carolina. Both trees have pink to white flowers with five petals. So, how can you tell them apart?
You can’t tell them apart if you’re just driving by in your car. You have to look carefully, and then it’s quite easy.
Cherry flower petals have a notch on the end. Plum flower petals are round.
The flowers on cherry trees bloom in clusters while the flowers on plum trees bloom individually.
The bark on the cherry tree has horizontal lines that look like tiny cuts, called lenticels. The bark on the plum tree does not have lenticels.
Cherry blossoms have very little to no smell. Plum blossoms are fragrant.
I hope this information clears up some confusion. The tree I was looking at was definitely a plum tree. What trees are flowering where you are?