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Beach plum
Habit (mature) · David J. Stang / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Limited coverage
Beach plum
Prunus maritima
A low, densely branching coastal shrub of northeastern dunes, smothered in white spring blossom and prized for the tart blue-purple plums that follow. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents it native from New Brunswick down the Atlantic seaboard to New Jersey, growing in sand and gravel near the sea, where it is both salt tolerant and drought tolerant. It carries Special Value to Native Bees, feeds birds with its fruit, and is self-incompatible — a second seedling is needed to set a real crop.
Native: 11 US states + 1 CA province
Review: Source-backed
Climate fit: moderate (57/100)
Structure
Pollinator
Edible
Light
Full sun
Water
Low water
Mature size
36-96" tall · 72" apart
Hardy in zones
3a-7b
brutally cold to cold winters
Summer heat range
Cool-Warm
cool to warm summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.
Native in Illinois
No
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A documented larval host for the Hummingbird clearwing moth — caterpillars feed on its foliage before becoming the next generation.
Wildlife relationships
Cold hardiness
Now
Zone 6b
USDA
Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day
Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer
Well-suited
2050
Zone 7b
Plotwright
Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)
Marginal
In plain terms: cold winters — coldest nights typically around -3°F.
✓→⚠
Well-suited today, but likely marginal by 2050.
Heat tolerance
Loading current AHS heat-zone and plant heat-fit data at your coordinates…
Sources & citations
Cite this page
For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.
Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Beach plum (Prunus maritima). Retrieved 2026, June 5, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/beach-plum
Sources for every fact
Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited18 source-backed.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Database
Botanical research database
Backs 17 fields
Identity
Summary
Plant type
Light
Moisture
Hardiness
Heat zone
Size
Spacing
Habit
Design roles
Seasonal interest
Growth stages
Lifecycle
Regional guidance
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Wikimedia Commons
Photo · CC BY-SA 4.0
Backs 1 field
Image
Community photos
The photos above are our reviewed reference set, curated for accuracy.
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