North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Donna &/or Kieran" <holycow@cookeville.com>]

We picked and ate a bunch of what I think were these hybrids in NM many years ago, and I was disappointed to read that they get brown rot too badly to grow in the east.  So I was very surprised when David Ulmer, southern plum chairman, recommended American hybrids, and had to go look them up.  there are 3 groups to choose from. 

1) P bessyi X Jap

2) P americana XJap

3) P americana X simoni

 

This spring a couple of wild plum sprouts bloomed for the first time at our place, and I realized that the little plum thickets I see here and there must be angustifolia.  The two larger trees, sprouts dug from trees planted in local backyards, must be americana.  If this is the case, I certainly approve of the choice of americana because they are barely starting to bloom, while the angustifolia is almost done.  The americana crosses not only don't have the serious brown rot problem that the bessyi crosses have, David tells me they are more resistant than the Japs.  I am hoping they grow as well here as the others, but take after they am parent in bloom time.  My am plums were one of the very few fruits to come through the big Easter freeze.      Donna

P.S.  Fedco carries a number of the american crosses