Oak Summit Nursery
Opata Cherry Plum (Prunus salicina x Prunus besseyi 'Opata')
Opata Cherry Plum (Prunus salicina x Prunus besseyi 'Opata')
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Opata Cherry Plum (Prunus besseyi × Prunus salicina) is sand cherry x Japanese 'Golden' plum. It grows more compact and ripens earlier than other cherry plums. Dark purplish red skin with blue bloom. Green firm flesh. Sweet with a sprightly acid note, thin skin without acerbity. The fruit is about 1 3/8". Early season. Bears young and heavily on one year wood. Introduced 1908 by the South Dakota Experiment Station
Cold Hardiness: Zone 3
Here's a comparison of the cherry plum cultivars we're growing.
| Name | Year Introduced | Breeding Parentage | Breeder / Institution | Flesh Color | Skin Color | Size | Flavor / Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compass | 1896 | Sand cherry (Prunus besseyi) × “Minor” (Miner) plum (Prunus hortulana group) | H. Knudson, Springfield, Minnesota | Yellowish | Dark purple-red | ~2.5 cm (small) | Excellent for jelly; good for canning |
| Sapa | 1908 | Sand cherry (P. besseyi) × ‘Sultan’ (Japanese plum, P. salicina) | South Dakota Experiment Station, Brookings, SD | Dark purple | Purple with bluish bloom | ~2.5 cm (small) | Excellent for canning and jam |
| Opata | 1908 | Sand cherry (P. besseyi) × ‘Gold’ (Japanese plum, P. salicina) | South Dakota Experiment Station, Brookings, SD | Yellowish-green | Greenish, overlaid reddish-purple | 2.5–3 cm (small) | Good for preserves |
| Kappa | 1960 | Sand cherry (P. besseyi) × Japanese plum (P. salicina) | University of Saskatchewan (Cecil Patterson) | Yellow-green | Dark, bluish-black at maturity | Small (≈ cherry-plum size) | Sweet, fruity “cherry-plum” flavor |
| Sapalta | 1941 | ‘Sapa’ × open-pollinated (pollen parent unknown) | Canadian selection (Brooks, Alberta) | Dark purple | Reddish-purple | Small to medium | Sweet-tart; excellent for canning/jam |
| Dura | 1942 | ‘Sapa’ seedling | Morden Experimental Station, Manitoba | Red | Dull green blotched with purple | ~3.5 cm (medium-small) | Excellent for canning |
| Manor | 1945 | ‘Sapa’ seedling | Morden Experimental Station, Manitoba | Dark red | Dark purple-red | 2.5–3 cm (small) | Excellent for canning |
Plant Details
Our cherry plums are own rooted plants.
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