Identification: Chinese plum with smooth green ovate leaves

Discussion in 'Fruit and Nut Trees' started by jdmeissner, May 23, 2013.

  1. jdmeissner

    jdmeissner New Member

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    About 4 years ago I planted a few pits from Chinese dried salted plums. Two trees grew. One is about 8 feet tall. I was wondering when it was going to blossom. This year it totally leafed out -- smooth green ovate leaves (not serrated). Just today as I was trimming it I noticed that it had blossoms that were starting to come out. I would like to know what kind of plum tree this is. It seems strange that the flowers come after the tree has leafed out. Help with ID would be appreciated. Thanks. --jim
    If I remember right, the shriveled dried plums were reddish but that may have been from the way they were dried, salted, and processed.
     

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  2. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Looks like a Diospyros.
     
  3. jdmeissner

    jdmeissner New Member

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    Wow! That was fast. The package the "Chinese dried plums" came in was completely in Chinese so I suppose they could be dried persimmons -- as long as the fruit were about 1 inch in diameter. The leaves look right. Thanks. Maybe diospyrus kaki?
     
  4. jdmeissner

    jdmeissner New Member

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    I am very familiar with dried salted plums, but maybe there are also dried salted persimmons (very small ones?). The trees survive Oregon winters. It will be interesting to see what fruit develops.
     
  5. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    D. kaki is known over 35' tall in Seattle, where garden centers stock it. However, today I realized the answer to this particular mystery is that your tree is an example of D. lotus, the date-plum. It is apparently hardy here also, one at the University of Washington was 50' tall until being cut down in 1986.
     
  6. jdmeissner

    jdmeissner New Member

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    Thanks Ron. My tree does look like photos of D. lotus. I don't know if I need both a male and female plant to get fruit. I do have a 2nd plant but it is only about 4 feet tall although it is the same age as the other one (and about 50 feet away). I guess I will find out soon enough whether I will have fruit. Thanks again. --jim
     
  7. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    One over 37' tall growing by itself in a Seattle park fruits every year, they are sweet and seedless - so apparently fertilization is not always required for fruiting, and lack of it can actually be an advantage as no seeds are present. However, as I remember it the fruits on this particular specimen are quite dinky; if fertilization would result in increased size in this case I do not know.
     
  8. jdmeissner

    jdmeissner New Member

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    I think my bigger date-plum (diospyros lotus) is male because apparently the male's blossoms are in "groups" while the female has blossoms in "rows". So I hope the smaller tree turns out to be female.
     

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