Japanese apricot (ume)
Prunus mume
ウメ
Rosaceae
Prunus mume is a deciduous small tree native to China, established in
Edible Container Wildlife value: medium Maintenance: medium tree
Planting calendar (Tokyo baseline)
Pick a region in the header to shift the window.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planting | ||||||||||||
| Flowering | ||||||||||||
| Fruiting |
Tokyo baseline: months 11, 12, 1, 2
Growing requirements
| Light | full sun |
|---|---|
| Water | medium |
| Soil | well-drained loam |
| Hardiness | Tokyo lowland |
| Container | Yes · Min container size: 30 L |
| Maintenance | medium |
| Common issues | aphids; scale insects |
Where to source
Seedlings, divisions, or seed. Native plant suppliers in Japan are the right starting point.
- Search Japanese suppliers for seedlings · native-plant suppliers
About this plant
Prunus mume is a deciduous small tree native to China, established in
Japan since the Nara period. Strongly fragrant flowers open before
the leaves in white, pale pink, or deep crimson depending on cultivar;
bred for both ornamental and fruit-bearing forms. Cold-hardy and
drought-tolerant, fitting Tokyo gardens, containers, and bonsai.
Usage
Specimen tree, hedging, containers, bonsai, orchard fruit.
Practical info
| Native | No |
|---|---|
| Edible | Yes |
| Edible parts | fruit (umeboshi, umeshu, ume juice) |
| Wildlife value | medium |
| Attracts |
|
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Sources
Primary references, publications, and observation data this page draws on. How sources are picked is described in About the data .
- National Diet Library — Edo gardening texts
- RHS — Prunus mume
- Catalog editor (niwa, 2026-05)