Cultivar 147: LaCrescent

LaCrescent is a yellow plum hybrid in Prunus, bred by the University of Minnesota from 'Shiro' x 'Howard Yellow'. It was introduced in the early 1920s. Sources place it in 1922 or 1923. [S3] [S4] Northern plum literature describes it as hardy and high quality. It was recommended for trial in the colder northern two thirds of South Dakota. [S1] [S3]

University of Minnesota sources identify LaCrescent as a hardy northern introduction. Prairie indexing later carried it into the Canadian prairie record as a complex hybrid from the same cross. [S3] [S4] South Dakota nursery listings show it was sold by several nurseries. This suggests it had practical regional circulation beyond experiment station descriptions. [S2]

Sources describe the fruit as medium large to large, nearly round, and about 3.5 to 4.0 cm across, or roughly 1 1/2 inches in diameter. [S3] [S4] The skin is yellow with a pink blush and a fairly heavy bloom. The flesh is yellow, tender, melting, and moderately juicy. [S3] [S4] Its flavor is described as sweet, aromatic, and excellent in quality. [S3] It ripens in mid to late August and is classed as a medium season plum. It is suited to fresh eating and processing. [S3] [S4]

The tree is described as upright, spreading, very vigorous, and hardy. [S3] It was reported productive in northern Minnesota and Manitoba, but only moderately productive farther south. It also has fair fruit adherence. [S3] This regional performance fits its appearance in northern recommendation tables, where it was listed for trial under prairie conditions in Zone III in South Dakota. [S1] [S3]

LaCrescent was part of the early University of Minnesota effort to develop better hardy plums for northern growing regions. Its parentage joins two named Asian plum line cultivars, and prairie sources continued to treat it as useful northern material in both the United States and Canada. [S3] [S4] Sources do not provide a naming story here, but they consistently preserve its identity as a hardy yellow plum selected for fruit quality and northern usefulness. [S1] [S3]

Summary source basis

• S1: South Dakota Fruit Garden
• S2: Nursery Plants Available from South Dakota Nurseries
• S3: 9c684c14 7509 4b78 a803 0bf01a64aa28
• S4: An index of fruit cultivars tested or developed on the Canadian prairies.

This summary currently draws chiefly from 9c684c14 7509 4b78 a803 0bf01a64aa28, with 3 additional supporting sources linked below.

Featured source descriptions

“Origin: University of Minnesota, introduced in 1923.”
— ^[4]

“Stone about 5/8 x 1/2 inch, flat, oval, nearly free.”
— ^[4]

“'LaCrescent' 2,23,27,32,33”
— ^[3]

“Flesh tender, melting, moderately juicy; flavor sweet and aromatic; quality excellent.”
— ^[4]

Direct parent cultivars

• No direct linked parent cultivars promoted yet.

Parentage claim text

• Parentage: Shiro x Howard Yellow.
• Origin listed as 'Shiro' x 'Howard Yellow' (complex hybrid).

Derived or downstream cultivar links

• No derived or downstream lineage links yet.

Source-story quotations

• PLUMS, Minn. Hybrids | For Trial | ZONE III All Rest and Northern two-thirds of State | LaCrescentSouth Dakota Fruit Garden (visual sample pages 9-11), p1
• PLUMS, Minn. Hybrids | For Trial | ZONE III All Rest and Northern two-thirds of State | LaCrescentSouth Dakota Fruit Garden (visual sample pages 9-11), p1
• PLUMS, Minn. Hybrids | For Trial | ZONE III All Rest and Northern two-thirds of State | LaCrescentSouth Dakota Fruit Garden (visual sample pages 9-11), p1
• PLUMS, Minn. Hybrids | For Trial | ZONE III All Rest and Northern two-thirds of State | LaCrescentSouth Dakota Fruit Garden (visual sample pages 9-11), p1

Taxonomy context: No family-tree context surfaced yet.

Related cultivars mentioned in source context