http://www.patwelsh.com/trees/bark-splitting-on-ornamental-plum-tree/

That's more than bark split! It's cracked right into the sapwood and I have seen exactly the same symptoms on local purple leaf plums that were very nearly dead (or completely dead) as yours is. I suspect it's caused by very severe drought stress which is causing the sapwood to shrink relative to heartwood and crack on a linear axis. The trees I saw it one were newly planted B&B (1-2 years in the ground) going through a summer drought. It could be drought in your case or root damage, vascular issue, or anything that is disrupting water getting back into the tree from the roots.

I agree with Smivies. May also be a combination of factors such as he mentioned.

Thanks to you all for the info. Very helpful. While it's sad to see the tree die, I was worried there was something going on in the yard that may affect all the trees. The other trees, most of which are much much bigger/hardier seem fine.

David - We bought the house 12 months ago. There has been no fertilizer or anything used in the yard during that time.

I guess the winter, and the last month or so of dry/heat have finished off the purple plum.

On a separate note, another tree close to this plum also died. It's a different kind of tree. It shows no visible signs of distress, but it didn't produce any leaves at all during spring, and is done dry and branches break easily (see tree marked in blue here. The red highlight is the plum tree)

I wonder what killed off this one? Same as the plum....lack of water? Would the bigger trees next to it compete and win the war for resources?

purple leaf plum tends to do this right after it establishes......

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/4046465/your-top-3-most-hated-trees?n=3

a tree that does not leaf is dead ..

plums.. in tree time.. are short lived trees .. because of various issues ...

your is huge.. overly mature.. and way past its prime ... not to mention having gummosis ...

with your lot size .. i would not bother with the cost of stump grinding.. just have them cut flush to the ground.. so the lawnmower can pass right over the stump ... and enjoy the world of mushrooms which will follow ... as the root mass decays over the years ...

both stumps should be treated with stump killer, by the contractor .. it may be a waste on the dead one.. but what the heck ..

my logic.. if the dudes are coming.. have them do everything at once .. half the cost is getting them there ..... that would include your other post ...

in the alternative ... since the plum is out in the middle of nowhere.. a threat to nothing... you could spend the next few years.. to decade.. watching it die and break apart ... so be it.. the circle of life ... its not really anything to be sad about ...

ken

The branch structure and bark of the already dead tree also looks like a Prunus sp. There is probably a link....

I strongly doubt either one of these (upon removal) will require "stump killer". The stump will stay dead all on its own.

For certain, any member of Prunus-once it gets to this state- is done for. The other tree I can only guess, with limited info.

What's the bird in the tree?

"What's the bird in the tree?"

Blue Jay.

Cool. We have gray jays here in the mountains.

Actually, purple leaf plums are notorious for sending up root shoots, as are many other members of the Prunus genus. I doubt whether disease has much effect on their production - chopping down the mother tree certainly has minimal impact unless the stump is ground or one applies a stump killer. And if the tree is of any age and established, you can expect it to have some sort of disease issue. It's pretty much the nature of these trees. Not at all worth planting, IMO.

Agree gardengal...but isn't it remarkable that a whole book was written about them:

http://www.arthurleej.com/plp.html

I adore "North American Landscape Trees" - surely one of the top 10 horticultural references ever written in my opinion...but ALJ clearly has a soft spot for all Rosaceae...covering more obscure cultivars of those than anything else.

Jockscot, How much land do you have there? Thats a really pretty yard.

0.75 acre. Don't be too fooled though... the lawn was a mess when we moved in almost a year ago (see old thread about that http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/3299572/what-is-wrong-with-this-lawnrepair-replace-new-homeowner-novice#15571026). The dead lawn has part repaired itself/mostly filled in bare spots with weeds. It's green now, but could do with some love to kill off weeds and replace with grass. It's on my to-do list.