Prune Varieties

Improved French

Ripens in August
Large with dark blue skin. It is tender, fine textured with a rich sweet flesh. It is California’s leading prune and is self-fertile.

Muir Beauty

Ripens earlier than Sutter and Improved French
A new plum cultivar developed within the University of California Dried Plum/Prune Cultivar Improvement Program for use by the dried fruit industry. It is an excellent dried plum that ripens earlier than both the Sutter and the Improved French. Muir Beauty is the recommended pollinizer for the Tulare Giant.

Stalian

Sutter (PP#12,398)

Ripens in July
Sutter prune is designed to extend the season of the French prune (dried plum) by ripening 10 days earlier. It is larger and consistently sweeter than French. Sutter also has some fresh market potential.

Tulare Giant (USPP 12,224)

Ripens mid-July
Formerly UC Selection 3-6E-13. This new cultivar is best suited for the fresh market. It is large in size, often twice the size of French. It has an early date of maturity, ripening in mid-July in an average year. The fruit is an oval shape, dark purple to almost blue in color, covered by a grayish waxy bloom. Soluble solids content will reach 18 x 19 brix at shipping maturity. The tree is very productive, precocious and a regular bearer. Good pruning and thinning practices must be observed to reduce the fruit load so that acceptable sugar content will develop. Test shipments of this new cultivar to the Pacific Rim have been well-received.

Ripening dates shown are approximate for Fresno and will vary with season and location.