I would say that this is the most common cultivar of the Purpleleaf Plum Tree or Purple Myrobalan Plum planted in the US. The second most common cultivar of 'Thundercloud' is little different. The only difference is that 'Newport' is a little more cold hardy and 'Thundercloud' is a little more rounded in form and has barely darker foliage. Lake County Nursery in northern Ohio grows both cultivars, but usually most nurseries chose one or the other. 'Newport' actually is a cross of the Purpleleaf Plum Tree with the 'Omaha' Plum that was introduced into the nursery trade in 1923 by the University of Minnesota Horticultural Research Station. If I do conventional landscaping, I would use this as an accent plant only, not any large planting. Morton Arboretum that is west of Chicago, Illinois does not recommend any Purpleleaf Plum Tree as an ornamental tree because they usually live about 20 years after planting by getting killed off by canker disease and/or borers because they are stressed by summer heat and humidity and dislike drought not providing water into the tree. Despite this, Purpleleaf Plum Trees are very commonly planted in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast.

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