North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Anton Callaway <marillen@earthlink.net>]

Steve,

Burbank may have crossed apricot & P. pumila (I don't know either way), but 
the typical plumcot is apricot X P. salicina ("Asian plum")and Burbank 
certainly made that cross with several cultivars.

Anton
Zone 8


-----Original Message-----
>From: Steven Covacci <filtertitle@aol.com>
>Sent: Jan 4, 2011 3:15 AM
>To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
>Subject: [NAFEX] Will apricot and sand cherry (Prunus pumila) naturally form 
>a plumcot hybrid?
>
>
>Hi,
>
>
>Plumcot is the result of the interspecific hybridization of apricot (Prunus 
>armeniaca) and the genetically compatible sand cherry (Prunus pumila spp. 
>besseyi - western sand cherry).  Burbank was one who was successful in 
>forming a "plumcot".  Their bloom periods seem to match up, in the Atlantic 
>northeast.
>
>
>Asian plums will freely hybridize with US-native plums, open-pollinated, as 
>their chromosomal counts are equivalent.  I think apricot (will they?) and 
>Asian plums will cross.  So, will apricot freely hybridize with native 
>plums, including and/OR specifically sand "cherry" (a plum)?
>
>
>Thanks,
>Steve
>New Jersey; USDA zone 6b/7a
>