unidentified black plum

[habitat_gardener]

I got several plants from the local nursery. Actually, their compost dumpster. So most of them did not come with name tags. They sell lots of heirlooms, and I guessed by the shape of the soil block that they came from the wholesaler I like that has lots of good varieties.

One of them is producing ~3-inch elongated black plums that have a pretty good sweet flavor. It's not Black Plum, which I've grown and is much smaller and darker. And they're not pear-shaped like Trifele. They feel ripe when they have some color all over, but are not too dark. Any ideas?

fwiw, the wholesaler's list of 2013 varieties is at http://www.dorights.com/2013VintageVeggies.pdf
but nothing on the tomato list sounds remotely like what I'm getting except maybe Green Sausage (but the ends of my fruits are not sharply pointed like the ones pictured at Tatiana's tomatobase). Of course, they don't always list everything that they sell, it's possible the plant came from a different source, and it's possible seeds got mixed up.

(It's possible it's a wispy determinate, but I'll have to take a closer look at the plant the next time I go to that garden. I've been picking at dusk a lot and haven't been paying attention to my newer plants as much.)

[KarenO]

purple Russian, Black Ethiopian, black Russian are a few possibilities. I wouldn't think it's anything too exotic if it came from a nursery but you never know.
KO

[habitat_gardener]

Black Ethiopian and Black Russian are round, so those are out. I've grown Purple Russian and it's darker and larger than what I have.

[Labradors2]

Originally Posted by habitat_gardener

I got several plants from the local nursery. Actually, their compost dumpster.

Thanks for the chuckle, and good for you in saving the lives of those poor unwanted plants and giving them a good home!

Linda

[carolyn137]

I did look at the list but all that jumped out to me was what was called German Orange Strawberry and I just posted in Sodaks' thread that somehow some think that Orange Strawberry was a German heirloom when indeed it was a stray seed from a package of Pineapple seeds/

Majorie Morris sent me those seeds as she did German Red Strawberry, so some just assumed that Orange Strawberry was also German in origin as is GRS.

All to say I didn't see anything on that list that seems to match what you have.

Are you able to contact them and ask more directly?

Carolyn

[Stowaway]

From the description I thought, "That sounds like Black Prince." Then I went and looked at the list you linked, and Black Prince was on it. I've gotten the impression from threads here that there are two varieties going around under the name Black Prince. The ones I grew were about the size and shape of a jumbo egg.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Stowaway

From the description I thought, "That sounds like Black Prince." Then I went and looked at the list you linked, and Black Prince was on it. I've gotten the impression from threads here that there are two varieties going around under the name Black Prince. The ones I grew were about the size and shape of a jumbo egg.

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Black_Prince

Just for reference. When an oval shape is said to occur it occurs on the same plant where the round ones are. So I don't think there are two Black Princes'. just two different possible shapes on the same plant.

Same as what happens with the variety Prue, which can have several different shapes of fruit on the same plant.

Hope that helps,

Carolyn

[Stowaway]

Hi Carolyn,

Thanks for responding. Looking back over the site, it was actually you who led me to believe there are two varieties in circulation. Here's the thread: http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=11148.

Here's what you wrote:

Originally Posted by carolyn137

I spent some time plowing through the long listings for this variety in back SSE YEarbooks last night.

Almost everyone in the first couple of years got their seeds from Nichols Nursery in OR ( origin stated as Irkutsk, Siberia) who were the first to introduce it in the US. And then those seeds were spread around within the US as well as to European SSE members.

Going through the listings most said 2 to 4 oz fruits, with some stating fruits in the 6-8 oz range and the few who noted fruit shape said round not plum shaped, and only Ake from Sweden and one other person said deteminate as I recall.

So yes, I think two versions are in circulation Alex.

Looking at Tatiana's site, the ones Tatina herself posted look more or less like what I grew, though mine tended more toward the oval shape. But someone else on that page has posted fruit that are beefsteak in shape, with more pronounced green shoulders. Anyway, I got mine from a nursery, so who knows? It was very productive, but not a variety I'm likely to grow again.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Stowaway

Hi Carolyn,

Thanks for responding. Looking back over the site, it was actually you who led me to believe there are two varieties in circulation. Here's the thread: http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=11148.

Here's what you wrote:



Looking at Tatiana's site, the ones Tatina herself posted look more or less like what I grew, though mine tended more toward the oval shape. But someone else on that page has posted fruit that are beefsteak in shape, with more pronounced green shoulders. Anyway, I got mine from a nursery, so who knows? It was very productive, but not a variety I'm likely to grow again.

The thread you linked to was from 2009 when I made the comments I did. And I haven't looked at any SSE Yearbooks about this variety since then.

So I'll go back to Tania's page for it where she notes,as I think one other did that two shapes can be found on the same plant;

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Black_Prince

As is true for Prue.

I just scooped up the 2012 Yearbook from the floor, the 2013 is around here somewhere, and looked at the listings for Black Prince.

Of those who mentioned fruit shape, all said globes or round, and not all mentioned shape.

Of those who mentioned size, and not all did, the sizes were all over the lot,most on the small size of a few ounces, a few mentioned larger sizes.

And many, but not all, mentioned green shoulders.

Carolyn

[habitat_gardener]

I have photos. The size is about 2.5 inches. The darkest one is fully ripe.

The fruits have nipples on the end, not pointed like Green Sausage or rounded like Purple Russian.

And they have 3 locules, like Green Sausage, not 5 like Purple Russian.

Any other ideas?

[Stowaway]

Oh, well. Those are much more oblong and pointy-tipped than I was expecting. Back to the drawing board!

[Doug9345]

I just when through Tatiann's list of black tomatoes. I've come up with two that look sort of like it but they are too new and rare for a nursery to have grown them unless they grew a few for a special order or themselves to try and that was an extra they tossed.

Wessel Purple Pride
http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/w...b=General_Info

Black Icicle
http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/w...sulka_Chernaya

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by habitat_gardener

I have photos. The size is about 2.5 inches. The darkest one is fully ripe.

The fruits have nipples on the end, not pointed like Green Sausage or rounded like Purple Russian.

And they have 3 locules, like Green Sausage, not 5 like Purple Russian.

Any other ideas?

Any other ideas?

Maybe Snidley Whiplash snuck an unknown black plum variety into DoRight's dumpster. That's what you get for "dipping".

Seriously, I'd go back to Dorights, tell them you got strange looking fruit, show them your pics, and ask them if it matches any variety they sold this year. I wouldn't mention the dipping.

Dr. Lve Apple

[travis]

You need to forget about identifying those Dumpster Darlings and share some of those seeds with Fred Hempel, who will morph them into one of his fabulous, artisan tomato lines.

[GunnarSK]

Yes by all means save seeds.