Prunus mexicana has a single trunk, an open crown, and reaches a height of 15–38 feet (4.6–11.6 m).

[3] In the early spring it is covered with five-petaled fragrant white or pale pink flowers 0.75–1 inch (19–25 mm) wide.

[4][verification needed] The dark red or purple fruit ripens late in the fall.

[8] The native range of the species stretches from South Dakota east to Wisconsin, Ohio, Kentucky, and Georgia, and south to the Mexican states of Coahuila and San Luis Potosí.

[3] The fruit is made into preserves, and the tree can serve as a rootstock for grafting on other plum cultivars.