[3][4] Prunus umbellata can reach 6.1 meters (20 feet) in height with a 4.6 m (15 ft) spread.

It has alternate serrate green leaves that turn yellow in autumn.

Fruits are round, purple, and 1.3–2.5 centimeters (1⁄2–1 inch) in diameter.

[4] The trees bloom and bear fruit later than other plums.

[5] P. umbellata trees can live up to 40 years and are very difficult to distinguish from P. angustifolia, with which it hybridizes easily.