Prunus domestica subsp. syriaca
Origin: Anatolia (via Europe via Michigan)
Improvement status: Cultivar group
Seeds per packet: ~8
BOTANICAL SAMPLE - NOT GERMINATION TESTED
Life cycle: Perennial
We're thrilled to be offering these amazing Yellow Mirabelle Plum seeds, thanks to our friend Ken Asmus of Oikos Tree Crops in southwestern Michigan. Ken tried to retire a few years ago, but the plants apparently kept calling him back! He's still selling seeds and plants, but now he's only selling bulk amounts of seeds, pricing out the smaller customers who just want to try a packet-sized amount. So we're happy he's willing to have us buy a few things from him in bulk so we can offer them at a smaller size to all of you!
Here's what Ken has to say about his yellow mirabelles:
"Mirabelle plum is a wild French plum grown worldwide for its rich complex flavor, typically used in jam and other processed fruit mixtures including pies, preserves and wine [but also delicious eaten out of hand]. The name translates as 'wondrous beauty'. Although commercial uses are centered around the French region of Lorraine, it is also found in Poland and the Czech Republic, to which this plum was carried by cultures who found it as a wild population of alpine plums. Today, large trees exist in the U.K. in some very out of the way places. It has been distributed by pits, much like the peach was from China. According to recent genetic analysis, it appears it has its origins in Anatolia or eastern Turkey and was distributed widely from there. Large populations of Prunus are naturally moved by humans often times a little at a time as people discover the food value and delicious nature of their discovery.
If you Google this plum, you may notice it is sometimes labeled as the "illegal plum". It is indeed illegal to import the seeds, fruit and plants — just like all the Prunus species. However, it can be grown within the U.S. from U.S. sources. It is currently grown from a few nurseries and some offer named selections. Cornell University released a variety. But the true mirabelles are much like basmati rice, where the climate and soil help create the perfect flavor profile for this rather rare alpine species.
My mirabelle plums, like all the plums I grow at my farm, were started from seeds and have been producing now for 30 years. From seed it takes roughly 8-10 years to fruit. Once the trees reach 2 inches in caliper [diameter at breast height] the trees will begin to produce fruit spurs and then flowers. Mirabelle plums are slow growing at first. They are considered a species cultivar or subspecies syriaca. My plants tend to be more like a crabapple tree in shape, with asymmetrical branching. The fruit is similar to beach plum in size, with colors of red and yellow. Most of the super productive trees appear to be yellow, which is more true to type from seed. Red fruited plants have slightly larger fruits. The subspecies syriaca is completely immune to black knot and has few insect pests or fungal diseases. There appears to be some damage by plum curculio on some trees, but not every year — and most years the fruit is clean without spray.
Older trees will begin to loose the larger limbs after 25 years and new sprouts near the trunk should be kept to take the place of the main trunk which will eventually die back to the root crown. Other suckers can be trained to maintain the root system. The tree itself is not particularly fast growing, but in the right sandy soils with good drainage the trees respond to fertilizer very well and branches can be laden with fruit in good years. Trees are often twiggy compared to other plums, with multiple branches forming even on young trees. Much like hickory, once the tap root is established the tree is vigorous and fruitful.
This species plum should be planted because of its unique flavor profile and its ability to grow in the poorest of soils. The flavor is unique in the plum world. No wonder it was carried in the pockets of so many people far beyond its historical native range. Further selections could also be made based on yield.
GERMINATION: Mirabelle plums are usually doubly dormant and so require two cold periods to sprout fully. A few seeds will spout after the first dormancy. Store the seed in a lightly moist medium in the refrigerator for 60-120 days at 33F to 38F. Some seeds will split after 60 days and can be plucked out and planted. Lightly cover the seeds with 1/4 inch soil or sand. Letting the seeds go in the refrigerator for a full 90-120 days is ideal and may cause more sprouting to occur. After harvest I let the seeds rest throughout the summer prior to refrigeration. This helps with the embryo formation. You can also plant them in a closed flat outside to simulate the natural cycle of cold and warm. Like all Prunus species, mirabelle is easy to grow from seed and you get close to a 100 percent germination as the seedlings do not suffer from phytophora [root rot]."
