Cultivar 157: Toka

Toka is a hardy hybrid plum from N. E. Hansen's South Dakota program. It came from a native plum crossed with Prunus simonii, the Chinese apricot-plum. It was introduced in 1911. It belongs to the same fragrant plum group as Hanska, Kaga, and Inkpa. This group was bred to combine native plum hardiness with the firm, aromatic flesh of P. simonii. Contemporary sources describe Toka as one of Hansen's key plum introductions and say it was widely grown in many states. [S1] [S5] [S7] [S8]

Early Hansen bulletins place Toka in a larger group of about fifteen seedlings from the same cross, but only a few were named and distributed. It was first offered in spring 1911. It was also included with Hanska, Inkpa, and Kaga in the "Hanska Quartette," promoted as likely to provide standard market varieties because of vigor, early bearing, and handsome fruit. Its name was given as the Sioux word for "adversary," part of Hansen's broader practice of using Sioux names for northern plum introductions. [S5] [S7]

Hansen described the fruit as true to the Hanska type inside and out. Field notes from 1909 give its size as about 1 1/4 inches by 1 1/2 inches and its weight as about three quarters of an ounce. The fragrant plum group as a whole was valued for firm, perfumed flesh and excellent flavor. Sources say these hybrids had an apricot-like quality in cooking that differed from ordinary native plums. A later prairie orchard note says Toka's fruit resembles that of its sisters Hanska and Kaga. [S1] [S5] [S8]

Toka was seen as an early and heavy bearer. Hansen wrote that it cropped well in 1908 and fairly in 1909 even when the trees were crowded in the nursery. A later bulletin says seedlings of this parentage bore heavily in 1909 when native plums were nearly a failure. The tree was repeatedly described as erect, strong, and stocky, with a nursery habit much like Prunus simonii. One source calls it vase shaped and vigorous. Hansen also noted that its upright form made nursery trees easier to pack with less damage than more spreading sorts. [S5] [S7] [S8]

Its hardiness is supported more by geography and recommendation history than by direct zone language. Hansen bred and introduced Toka for the northern Great Plains. South Dakota Extension later listed it among Hansen fragrant hybrids recommended for all zones in the state. The fragrant plum group was also said to retain the hardy character of Prunus americana and to graft well on native plum seedlings. In Minnesota, these fragrant plums were also noted as good pollinizers for other hybrid or native plums. [S1] [S2]

Toka's lineage matters because it stands near the start of Hansen's successful native plum x Prunus simonii work. Sources distinguish this group from other prairie hybrid plums, such as the Japanese plum x native plum line that produced Waneta and related cultivars. In prairie fruit history, Toka is one of the clearer attempts to combine northern survival, productive bearing, and better dessert and cooking quality than wild native plums usually provided on their own. [S1] [S7] [S8]

Modern thesis material in the packet adds reproductive data rather than historical description. In University of Minnesota pollen studies, Toka showed 81% initial pollen stainability, with a significant decline after about seven months of storage, though it remained part of a broader set of winter hardy plum cultivars considered useful for breeding work. [S4]

Summary source basis

• S1: New Hardy Fruits for the Northwest
• S2: South Dakota Fruit Garden
• S3: Nursery Plants Available from South Dakota Nurseries
• S4: {Replace with the Title of Your Dissertation}
• S5: Some New Fruits
• S6: Progress in Plant Breeding
• S7: Plant Introductions
• S8: TreeFruitsGrownInPrairieOrchards WRLeslie 1946 HQ

This summary currently draws chiefly from Minnesota #1695, with 8 additional supporting sources linked below.

Featured source descriptions

“Indexed entry with reference to Bulletin 224, page 27.”
— ^[5]

“'Toka' 1,2,5,6,18,19,20,22,23,24,27,32,33”
— ^[7]

“Toka is among the fragrant plum introductions valued for excellent flavor of the firm fragrant flesh.”
— ^[5]

“In Minnesota these fragrant plums are excellent pollinizers for other hybrid or native plums.”
— ^[5]

Direct parent cultivars

• No direct linked parent cultivars promoted yet.

Parentage claim text

• Toka is one of about fifteen varieties of the same pedigree as Hanska, Inkpa, and Kaga.
• Pedigree: Wild Plum X Prunus Simoni pollen.
• Toka belongs to the Native Plum x Chinese Apricot Plum pollen class.
• seedling native plum x Prunus Simoni.
• South Dakota Experiment Station, 1911, seedling native plum x Prunus Simoni.
• Species/background listed as P. americana x P. simonii.
• Parentage is given as P. americana x P. simonii.

Derived or downstream cultivar links

• No derived or downstream lineage links yet.

Source-story quotations

• Average % stainability for plums ‘La Crescent’, ‘Monitor’, and ‘Toka’ decreased significantly after seven months in storage whereas ‘Superior’ had a significant decrease in as few as three months in storage.Minnesota #1695, p101
• Average % stainability for 'La Crescent', 'Monitor', and 'Toka' decreased significantly after seven or more months in storage whereas 'Superior' had significant decreases after just three months in storage (Table 2).Minnesota #1695, p108
• Average % stainability for plums ‘La Crescent’, ‘Monitor’, and ‘Toka’ decreased significantly after seven months in storage whereas ‘Superior’ had a significant decrease in as few as three months in storage.Minnesota #1695, p101
• South Dakota and Toka are probably the best general pollinizers in the group and are worth growing for their horticultural value in any plum planting.Pollination Studies with Stone Fruits, p6

Taxonomy context: Genus: Prunus | open genus tree

Related cultivars mentioned in source context