Manchurian apricot and the two wild plums
Manchurian apricot offers yellow orange fruit on a hardy Asian species. The two wild plums are native to Manitoba: American plum has smaller round fruit, while Canada plum has larger oval fruit.
Growing details
| Detail | Manchurian Apricot | American Wild Plum | Canada Wild Plum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Background | Species from northeastern Asia | Native species in Manitoba | Native species in Manitoba |
| Fruit appearance | Yellow orange with a light blush | Round fruit | Oval fruit |
| Fruit use | Fresh eating, canning and drying | Fresh when fully ripe, or preserves | Fresh eating and preserves |
| Local occurrence | Cultivated trees | Common wild plum | Less common wild plum |
| Cold hardiness zone | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Cropping reliability | Early flowers can be lost to spring frost, so it may not fruit every year | Fruits more reliably through variable prairie springs | Fruits more reliably through variable prairie springs |
A closer look
Manchurian Apricot
These are seedling apricots, not a grafted fruit cultivar. Fruit size and flavour vary between trees. Early flowers can be damaged by spring frost even when the tree itself survives winter well.
American Wild Plum
American plum commonly spreads into thickets through suckers. At our nursery, its round plums are about 1/2 to 1 inch across and ripen in late August or early September.
Canada Wild Plum
Canada plum fruit is about 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches across at our nursery and ripens in late August or early September. Local trees tend to sucker less than American plum. A seedling will still have its own mix of traits.