Japanese Flowering Apricot

Prunus mume

Rosaceae · broadleaf deciduous tree · introduced

Last updated May 11, 2026

Quick Facts

Height

15-30 ft

Spread

15-20 ft

Growth Rate

Medium

Light

Sun to Part Shade

Soil

Well Drained

Water

Moderate

Hardiness

Zone Zones 6a–9a

Bloom Time

January to March (Puget Sound lowlands); earliest tree to flower in the region

Fall Color

Yellow

Origin

China; long cultivated in China, Japan

Brown Rot Blossom Blight and Fruit RotHigh

Bloom Infection Window (Critical)

Cytospora CankerHigh

Spring Canker Activation

RustHigh

Aecial Stage (Alternate Host)

Verticillium WiltHigh

Root Colonization Period

+ 14 more — see full disease and pest lists below

Phenological Calendar

Stage	Typical Window	What to Look For
Dormancy break / bud swell BBCH 01-03	Dec 15 - Jan 31	Flower buds plump on bare branches; pink or red color visible through bud scales on south-facing limbs
Bloom start BBCH 61	Jan 15 - Feb 20	First fragrant flowers opening on bare branches, often on south-facing limbs; spicily scented
Full bloom BBCH 65	Feb 1 - Feb 28	Heavy fragrant bloom on bare branches; flowers solitary or in pairs; entire crown coloring before any leaves emerge
Bloom end / petal fall BBCH 69	Feb 15 - Mar 20	Petals dropping; flower remnants visible on ground; leaf buds beginning to break
Leaf emergence BBCH 10-11	Mar 1 - Apr 5	Green leaves emerging after petal fall; alternate, broadly ovate to rounded, ~10 cm long, sharply (often doubly) serrate margin
Fruit set BBCH 71	Apr - May	Small fuzzy green drupes developing where flowers were; ~3 cm at maturity
Fruit maturity BBCH 85-89	Jun - Jul	Drupes turning yellow to orange-red; fuzzy-skinned, cling-stone, very sour to bitter; rarely picked in ornamental settings
Leaf senescence BBCH 93	Oct - Nov	Foliage turning yellow before drop; fall color generally modest
Dormancy BBCH 97	Nov - Jan	Bare green-gray branches; flower buds visible and counting toward next season; chill accumulation underway

Diseases: Regionally Documented (25)

Monilinia fructicola and M Brown Rot Blossom Blight and Fruit Rot Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae Bacterial Canker Chondrostereum purpureum Silver Leaf Stigmina carpophila or Diaporthe spp. Shothole Taphrina deformans Leaf Curl Taphrina pruni Plum Pockets Multiple obligate biotrophic fungi (Erysiphales: Erysipha... Powdery Mildew Apiosporina morbosa Black Knot Cytospora spp. (Valsa spp., Leucostoma spp.) Cytospora Canker An uncharacterized Black Canker Symptom category — not a single disease Leaf Spot Verticillium dahliae Verticillium Wilt Rhizobium radiobacter (formerly Agrobacterium tumefaciens) Crown Gall Armillaria spp. — primarily A Armillaria Root Rot Phytophthora spp. (P Phytophthora Root Rot Multiple genera (Melampsoridium, Thekopsora, Naohidemyces... Rust Taphrina wiesneri Witches' Broom Multiple Basidiomycete fungi cause wood decay in trees Wood Decay Plum pox virus (PPV) Plum Pox (Sharka) Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV) Prunus Necrotic Ringspot Prune dwarf Prune Dwarf Aphelenchoides fragariae Nematode, Foliar Xiphinema americanum and related species Nematode, Dagger Mesocriconema spp Nematode, Ring Pratylenchus penetrans (primary) and P Nematode, Root-lesion

Pests: Regionally Documented (28)

Aphid (general) Myzus cerasi Black cherry aphid Brachycaudus helichrysi Leaf curl plum aphid Phorodon humuli Hop aphid Malacosoma spp. Tent caterpillar Hyphantria cunea Fall webworm Western red-humped caterpillar Choreutis pariana Apple-and-thorn skeletonizer Cacoecimorpha pronubana Carnation tortrix Enarmonia formosana Cherry bark tortrix Archips argyrospila Fruittree leafroller Choristoneura rosaceana Obliquebanded leafroller Parthenolecanium spp. Lecanium scale Diaspidiotus perniciosus San Jose scale Synanthedon exitiosa Peachtree borer Anarsia lineatella Peach twig borer Scolytus rugulosus Shothole borer Chrysobothris mali Pacific flatheaded borer Tetranychidae Spider mite Aculus cornutus Peach silver mite Pear sawfly (Pear slug) Edwardsiana rosae Rose leafhopper Otiorhynchus spp. Root weevil Halyomorpha halys Brown marmorated stink bug Drosophila suzukii Spotted-wing drosophila Cherry fruit fly Noctuidae Cutworms and Armyworms Forficula auricularia Earwig

Cultivars (8)

'Contorta'

Branches twisted and curled (contorted); flowers single, white

Hardy to USDA Zone 6; sometimes sold as 'Contorted Japanese Flowering Apricot'

'Peggy Clarke'

Flowers double, deep rose, medium-sized, somewhat cupped; fragrant

Hardy to USDA Zone 6; one of the most widely available P. mume cultivars in North American trade

'Trumpet'

Flowers single, pink

Hardy to USDA Zone 6; mature to 15-30 ft

'Bonita'

Semi-double, rose-pink flowers; fragrant

[VERIFY] Listed in NC State Extension cultivar set; PNW availability not confirmed.

'Dawn'

Double, ruffled pink flowers

[VERIFY] NC State Extension cultivar listing; PNW availability not confirmed.

'Kobai'

Semi-double, deep red flowers; classic Japanese ornamental form

[VERIFY] Heritage Japanese cultivar; limited PNW retail availability.

'Rosemary Clarke'

Semi-double white flowers with red calyxes; fragrant; vigorous

[VERIFY] Often available in PNW specialty nurseries.

'W.B. Clarke'

Double pink flowers on weeping form

[VERIFY] Weeping habit cultivar; limited availability in PNW retail trade.

Prunus mume is the earliest-blooming tree in the Puget Sound lowlands, opening flowers in February and sometimes January. The species shares the typical Prunus disease and pest load — bacterial canker, brown rot, silver leaf, shothole, aphids — and bloom occurs during the wettest part of the year, which favors blossom blight in most years. It blooms on previous-season wood, so any pruning happens immediately after flowering. The early bloom is the species' principal ornamental value; in marginal winters that bloom is at risk from late freeze events.

— Chris Welch, ISA Certified Arborist

Data Maturity

Structured Multiple sources. Expert review underway.