| Cultivar Name: |
French Improved Prune
|
| Type |
Plum/prune |
| Synonyms |
'Improved French', French Improved
|
| Patent |
Not Patented
|
| Usage |
Scion
|
| Products |
Canning
Dried
Fresh Market
|
| Chill Requirement |
800 chill hours required
|
| Yield |
High
|
| Flesh Color |
Dark Amber
|
| Pit |
Semi-freestone
|
| Ripening time |
+6
weeks relative to
Santa Rosa
|
| Self Compatible |
Yes - Self Compatible
|
| Description |
An excerpt from the attached article, 'Luther Burbank's Plums'...
"Burbank also devoted serious attention to breeding P. domestica selections for the drying and fresh markets, beginning with ‘Splendor’ prune (a seedling of ‘Agen’) and ‘Long-leaved Wonderful’, both introduced in 1893, and ‘Giant’ (‘Agen’ × ‘Pond’) in 1894. The historical record is not complete, but a seedling of ‘French’ (‘Agen’), which Burbank named ‘Miller’ and sold in 1898 to a nurseryman in Morgan Hill, appears to have been the cultivar later known as ‘Improved French’, which accounts for nearly the entire commercial prune industry in California today."
California's leading dried plum cultivar, French Improved is a dark red to purplish fruit with tender, dark amber flesh. Medium in size and egged shaped, this fine textured prune has a rich, sweet flavor. French Improved dries with an average 3:1 drying ratio. Trees are long lived, vigorous and have an upright growth habit. Shows good canker resistance. |
| References |
- Fruit, Berry and Nut Inventory. Third Edition. 2001. Seed Savers Exchange, Inc.
- Dave Wilson Nursery. Link
- Luther Burbank’s Plums, Hort Science; Link
|
|
