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
1.1-year maiden bare-root
tree
24.45€
St. Julien rootstock
Large size (3m-4m after 10 years)
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
Using
- Picking period (southern UK):late August
- Picking season:Late
- Cropping:Heavy
- Keeping (of fruit):1-3 days
- Food uses:Eating fresh, Culinary
Growing
- Gardening skill:Some needed
- Self-fertility:Not self-fertile
- Flowering group:3
- Pollinating others:Average
- Vigour:Average vigour
- Bearing regularity:Biennial tendency
Problems
- Disease resistance:Average
Climate
- Climate suitability:Temperate climates, Warm climates
- Cold hardiness (USDA):(6) -10F / -23C
- Summer average maximum temperatures:Cool ( 20C - 24C / 68F - 75F), Warm (25C - 30C / 76F - 85F)
- Frost resistance of blossom:Good resistance
Identification
- Country of origin:France
- Period of origin:1750 - 1799
- Fruit colour:Purple - light
