Plum is one of the favorite fruits of many. In addition to excellent taste, the plant has excellent healing properties.
In this article, first of all, we will briefly consider what plums generally exist. And then we'll see what the Mirabelle plum represents (description, varieties, photo, see below).
Briefly about plum varieties
From the most ancient times, the inhabitants of the Balkans and the Romans cultivated plums, due to which there were 2 main groups of home varieties - Hungarians and greengage.
It was from the Hungarian that the once famous Yugoslav prune was made. This beautiful variety has helped to create a huge number of species that are now growing in numerous gardens of Ukraine and the Russian Black Earth.
Gorgeous greenbacks, which are appreciated for their excellent taste in fresh form, are distinguished by very sweet rounded fruits with a light skin. The peculiarity of this variety is that its yield is good, but not quite regular.
And there is also the magnificent Mirabelle - a plum of a peculiar shape and color. About it in more detail below.
In general, plums represent more than three hundred varieties. Many believe that the fruits of this plant are exclusively purple or yellow berries, but this is a mistake. There are a lot of colors.
Here are just a few of the plum varieties: Prickly, Black (or Canadian), Tsistena, Cherry-like, Krastnolistnaya cherry plum, Stepnaya and many others.
general information
As you know, plum generally appeared as a result of crossing cherry plum and thorns in the regions of the Caucasus, and then it began to be considered as a separate garden plant.
In general, plum is a fairly common fruit crop, found almost everywhere in personal plots, in gardens. Currently, thanks to the breeding of a huge number (hundreds) of varieties of this fruit tree, it has become possible to grow and get an excellent harvest in a variety of climatic conditions.
In this article , plum varieties popular in Russia will be presented, and the unique Mirabelle (plum) variety will be described in more detail.
Names of plum varieties
There are no names for plums. Here are some of them: Morning, President, General’s, Nenko, Alyonushka, Mashenka, Honey White, Romen (red plum), Chemalskaya large, Egg, Spiky Blue Suite, Egg, Red Ball, Eurasia, Black Tula (or Bryanskaya Late), The early red, Blue Gift, Ode, Kuban legend, Renklod, Vikana, Memory of Timiryazev, Valor, Vengerka, Mirabelle, Ternosliva, Burbank, Damascena, Plum Canadian, Kabardinka, Angelina and others.
All of them have their own unique history of occurrence, which represents a separate topic.
And the name of the Mirabelle fruit comes from the French "world", which literally means "round sight".
About plum-shaped plums: varieties, features
Before we describe the Mirabelle plum variety (see photo below), we will clarify a little information about the varieties of columnar varieties of various fruit trees.
At first there were apples and pears, then varieties of columnar plums already appeared. And this breeding direction turned out to be quite effective and successful, because the trees turned out to be quite prolific, but also not picky about the conditions and not particularly demanding in care. Colon-shaped varieties are not so many. Especially popular three. Imagine a brief description of them:
Imperial is of medium height, with juicy fruits weighing up to 60 grams. It is characterized by a rather delicate taste, high productivity and good frost resistance. However, it requires abundant watering.
Blue Sweet - up to 2 meters tall, with large fruits (up to 70 grams) of purple color. It has an average ripening period and good frost resistance. The diameter of the crown reaches 0.9 meters.
There is also a yellow columnar plum (grade Mirabelle). Its fruits are the basis for the manufacture of the famous symbol of Lorraine - the magnificent French pie Mirabelle. Also, from the fruits of this plum, amazing jam and many famous plum brandy are obtained.
Mirabelle Plum: Description
Varieties of this group are presented below. In the meantime, general information in general about them.
Mirabelle is a wonderful variety that occupies an intermediate place between cherry plum and plum. This is the fruit of the mirabelle tree. Plum belongs to the family Rosaceae.
In another way, Mirabelle is one of the common subspecies of plum, characterized by heat lovingness, and therefore is most suitable for cultivation in the southern regions.
Distinctive features of this subspecies are rather early ripening, which contributes to excellent productivity just a few years after planting.
Mirabelle plum has ripened spherical or ovoid shape (photo below). Their diameter is about 3 centimeters, and the color is yellow-orange with the presence of small red blotches on them. Be sure to note the magnificent sweet and spicy taste and quite a long storage that the plum of the Mirabel variety possesses.
Description of the fetus:
- thick, sugary, mostly dense pulp;
- easily detachable bone;
- dense strong skin.
As already noted above, it is perfectly used in blanks and in the preparation of various culinary and confectionery products. Fresh fruits are delicious.
Subspecies: Mirabelle Nansian and September.
Most Popular Mirabelli
Mirabelle (plum) in its group is represented by the two most common typical representatives: Mirabelle yellow, Mirabelle Nansian (or double).
To date, there are many varieties and varieties of mirabelle plum. Among them, the most common (except for the two above) are considered:
• Small;
• Large;
• September;
• Bona.
And among the collection plantings in scientific institutions there is the newest wonderful variety - Mirabel Krasnopaharskaya.
A new plum was bred at the experimental Pavlovskaya station of the All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Plant Production (N.I. Vavilova), located in the Leningrad Region. And the new yellow plum variety has rounded fruits that have a juicy, palatable flesh.
Places of growth
Mirabelle is a plum originally bred in Asia Minor. Now its cultivation is widespread in the southern territories of Europe, in North Africa, France, Germany and Ukraine in the Odessa region.
But still, the largest part of Mirabeli grows on numerous plantations of Lorraine (productivity of about 15,000 tons per year).
In Russia, real Mirabeli are mostly cultivated in the Stavropol and Krasnodar Territories, on plum-growing plantations of the North Caucasus and in the Rostov Region.
Mirabelle in the garden
Many gardeners plant Mirabelle, unpretentious in care, but perfectly fruitful. And how beautiful it looks with golden fruits against a background of lush greenery!
It begins to bloom, like all columnar ones, already in the 1st year after planting a tree. Fruiting begins next year and lasts for almost 18 years. After that, the yield of the plant unexpectedly decreases, and the plum tree requires replacement. True, in the future it can remain in the garden, but already as just an ornamental plant.
Why not plant such a tree in the garden? Mirabeli ripe from its own garden has an unmatched aroma. Flowering occurs from the end of April to May, and the fruits ripen from August to September.
From one tree, the yield can be up to 15 kg. To achieve this result, the tree should be planted in a sunny place with sufficiently fertile soil and water permeability. Its height can reach up to 5 meters, and the same width along the crown. Therefore, before planting, you should choose a good place and plan everything well.
The above-described plum has a surprisingly beautiful name, which is a favorite fruit of many and has a pleasant sweet taste that is liked by children and adults.