To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] plums
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2006 18:07:36 -0400
Hello,
I was just looking at full grown specimans of various cherry plums and
they are dwarf naturally.
The ones I looked at were no more than 4-5 feet tall, and the same in
diameter. We collected seed from many of the varieties. Said to beging
producing fruit in 3-4 years.
The fruit had passed on most of them, but those with remaining, firm fruit
were very good.
[excerpt]
Opata: Fruit is blue-green with green flesh and about 3.0 cm in diam.
Excellent for eating out of hand and fair for preserves. Upper branches
often suffer winter injury, but lower branches usually fruit well. Grown
as a bush in a sheltered location. Ripens in late Aug.
Sapa: Fruit is blue-black with red flesh and about 2.5 cm in diam. Quality
surpasses Opata. Not as hardy as Opata but lower branches usually fruit
well. Grown as a bush in a shelter location. Fruit begins to ripen in late
Aug., is uninjured by Sept. frosts, and will remain in good condition
until Oct.
Oka: Fruit has purple-red tough skin with dark red flesh of good quality
and 2.5-3.0 cm in diam. Grown as an upright bush. It is somewhat hardy but
should be well sheltered. Ripens mid- Aug.-Early Sept. and fruit remains
edible on the tree for 3 weeks.
Alace: Fruit is dark purple with green flesh 2.5 cm in diam. Said to
resemble Opata. Plant is a low, spreading, hardy bush. Said to ripen in
July.
Beta: Fruit is red-blue with greenish flesh and 2.5-3.0 cm in diam.
Quality is good and stone is free. Tree is hardy. Ripens late Aug.-Sept.
Beta was developed at the University of Saskatchewan. Other U of S cherry
plums worth trying are Delta, Epsilon, Gama, Kappa, Omega, and Zeta.
Convoy: Fruit is scarlet red with yellowish flesh and about 2.0 cm in
diam. Quality is good for canning. It is an upright, narrow, hardy, and
productive tree. Fruit ripens early Sept.
Dura: Fruit is dark green with a purple mottle and flesh is maroon-purple.
Size is large - 3.5 cm in diam. Quality is good for dessert or canning and
stone is somewhat free. It is grown as a low spreading bush which is hardy
and productive. Season is from late Aug.-Oct.
Heaver: Fruit is Purple-black with green flesh and large - 3.5 cm in diam.
Quality is good as dessert and excellent canned. It is a low, spreading,
hardy, and productive bush. Ripens in mid-Aug.
Manor: Fruit is dark purple with dark red-purple flesh and 2.5-3.0 cm in
diam. Good as dessert and fair for canning. A hardy more upright bush than
Sapa and well adapted to the northern prairies.
Mistawasis: Fruit is purple with red flesh and 2.5-3.0 cm in diam. Skin is
thin and flavour pleasant. Bush is 8-12', upright, spreading, moderately
productive and hardy to -50ËF.
Prolific: Fruit is dark purple and flesh is green and about 2.5-3.0 cm in
diam. Quality is good. Bush is very hard and productive, but less
vigourous than Opata. Ripens in Sept.
Sapalta: Fruit is red-purple with almost black flesh and 3.0 cm in diam.
Stone is almost free. Bush is similar to Sapa.
Skinner's Favourite: Fruit is purple-red with green-yellow flesh and about
2.5 cm in diam. Quality is good for dessert and excellent for jam. Bush is
upright and about 5-6' high.
Wessex: Fruit of good quality and dries like a prune. Bush is extremely
hardy, productive and blooms late.
Others: Compass, Copper, Manson, Mordena, Hiawatha, Sacagawea, Manorette,
and Eileen
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