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Reine Claude Violette

  • Picking season: Late
  • Country of origin: France
  • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
  • Flowering group: 3

Reine Claude Violette is a traditional French plum, with the characteristic sweet sugary flavour of a gage-plum which is so sought-after by plum enthusiasts.

English fruit enthusiast Robert Hogg, writing in the 1880s rates it as "A dessert plum of the greatest excellence, and particularly richly flavoured if allowed to hang on until it shrivels". It is sometimes known as Purple Gage in the UK - whereas most gages are green or yellow, this one has a dusky purple colour when fully ripe.

This variety is a late-season plum, ripening in the UK in late August - early September.

Prunus domestica

Reine Claude Violette plum trees for sale

  • 1-year maiden bare-root tree 33.45€
    St. Julien rootstock
    Large size (3m-4m after 10 years)
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How to grow

Reine Claude Violette is a traditional French plum, with the characteristic sweet sugary flavour of a gage-plum which is so sought-after by plum enthusiasts.

English fruit enthusiast Robert Hogg, writing in the 1880s rates it as "A dessert plum of the greatest excellence, and particularly richly flavoured if allowed to hang on until it shrivels". It is sometimes known as Purple Gage in the UK - whereas most gages are green or yellow, this one has a dusky purple colour when fully ripe.

This variety is a late-season plum, ripening in the UK in late August - early September.

History

Reine Claude Violette is fairly easy to grow. It does best in warm dry climates, but is a bit less prone to fruit-splitting in spells of wet weather than some other plums and gages.

Although not well-known in the UK, this variety is still widely grown in France

Reine Claude Violette characteristics

  • Gardening skillExperienced
  • Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
  • Flowering group3
  • Pollinating othersAverage
  • Bearing regularityBiennial tendency
  • Picking seasonLate
  • CroppingHeavy
  • Keeping1-3 days
  • Useful forEating freshCulinary
  • Disease resistanceAverage
  • Fruit splittingSome susceptibility
  • Climate typeTemperate climatesWarm climates
  • Summer average maximum temperaturesCool ( 20-24C / 68-75F)Warm (25-30C / 76-85F)
  • Country of originFrance
  • Period of origin1750 - 1799
  • Flower colourWhite
  • Fruit colourPurple - light
  • Fruit sizeAverage