Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
'French Prune', 'Imperial', and 'Sugar'. 'Edwards' and 'Empress' are recommen-
ded in New Mexico.
For cold (Zone 4) locations, consider growing 'Bavay's Gage', 'Geneva Mi-
rabelle', 'Golden Transparent', 'Imperial Epineuse', 'Kuban Comet', 'Mirabelle
de Metz', 'Mount Royal', 'President', 'Reine de Mirabelle', 'Seneca', 'Victory', or
Damson Plum
Damson plum (
Prunus insititia
) resembles
P. domestica,
and some authorities
consider it a subspecies of European plum. The crop was well known in an-
cient Rome and the name “Damson” supposedly relates to the city of Damas-
cus. The fruits are small and tart and have limited uses for eating out of
hand. They are used to make preserves suitable for home use and niche mar-
kets.
The trees resemble their European cousins and are cold-hardy and resist-
ant to diseases. Although named varieties exist, the trees come nearly true
to seed. The most important variety, 'St. Julien', is used to produce seedlings
for use as plum rootstocks. For culinary use, 'Damson', 'French Damson', and
'Shropshire' are often recommended. These trees are small and ripen in the
middle to later part of the season. They are considered self-fruitful.
Japanese Plums
Japanese plums (
Prunus salicina
) probably originated in China. This group
produces high-quality fruits that are primarily used fresh. The crop was
brought to North America around 1870 and was a favorite of Luther Burb-
ank, who introduced many named varieties. Popular Japanese plums include
'Santa Rosa', 'Queen Ann', and 'Shiro'.
Most Japanese plums tend to be less cold-hardy than European varieties,
bloom earlier, do not live as long, are less reliably productive, and are more
susceptible to damage from fluctuating winter temperatures. Japanese vari-
eties are best grown in the same climates as peaches. While you will see
