Cultivar 400: Desoto

Desoto is an American plum, listed as an Americana type. It is one of the old northern native plums that remained common in Upper Midwest and prairie orchards for decades. It was found wild along the Mississippi near DeSoto in southwestern Wisconsin and was introduced by Elisha Hale of Lansing, Iowa, in 1863 or 1864. South Dakota sources describe it as one of the oldest varieties and still one of the best. They say it was widely planted and long recommended for general cultivation. [S2] [S5]

The record for Desoto is less about formal breeding and more about selection, movement, and long trial. It entered cultivation from wild Wisconsin material, then proved itself in South Dakota station plantings and private orchards. By the early experiment station era, it was already established enough to be called one of the most extensively planted native plums after forty years of trial. It also became important in breeding later. Hansen named it as a parent in hybrids such as Oziya and Wakapa, and he reported seedlings from sand cherry pollinated by Desoto plum pollen. Those later uses are part of its breeding legacy, not its own parentage. [S2] [S3] [S4]

The fruit was described as medium to fairly large for this class. A. Norby placed it at about one and one eighth to one and one fourth inches in diameter, and station notes said it ran large in 1904. Its color was considered less attractive than that of some rivals, but its quality was rated very good, with a small pit. Norby called it the standard in quality when well grown. South Dakota orchard notes also describe it as smaller than Wolf. [S2] [S5]

Desoto ripened rather late in northern districts. Norby reported it ripe from September 1 to 10 in 1904, and another grower called it rather late for that country. Even so, it was valued as an all around plum for annual bearing and quality, not for earliness. The fruit also had practical kitchen value. A Wisconsin Experiment Station recipe quoted in the South Dakota bulletin specifically recommends Desoto for drying after paring, pitting, lightly sugaring, and drying first in the oven and then in the sun. [S2] [S5]

The tree's reputation rested on productivity, hardiness, and endurance. South Dakota sources describe it as extremely productive and able to endure drought and cold. In some places it was so reliable that trees had not missed a crop for nine years without special care. Station trees on their own roots, planted in 1896, were said to be exceedingly productive and strong growing. Growers repeatedly warned that its main fault was overbearing. It sets too heavily, runs small if not thinned, and should be thinned severely in big crop years. [S2]

Disease and management notes are mixed. Desoto was reported hardy and healthy enough to remain among the best trees in old orchards, yet Norby also described it as especially subject to curculio and gouger, with some plum pocket noted in 1903. On the other hand, the fruit was said not to crack after rain. For market fruit, at least one observer preferred Wolf, but for general cultivation Desoto remained a standard because it bore annually and well. [S2]

Its cold climate standing is supported mainly by geography and direct performance reports, not by modern zone language. It was repeatedly recommended across South Dakota, including Brookings and the Black Hills, where one grower called it perfectly hardy and an early, abundant bearer for that part of the state. Other reports called it the best all around plum for South Dakota on its own roots, or simply the best native plum for profit. It was also repeatedly recommended on northern native plum roots, though one major source specifically praised it on its own roots. [S1] [S2] [S5]

Desoto also mattered beyond its own orchard performance. It appears in station plates of native plums, in county and grower reports, in propagation advice, and in later breeding records as a parent of newer Hansen material. Seedling work in South Dakota used Desoto fruit and pits, and growers used it as a benchmark for flavor when evaluating seedlings. That breadth of citation helps explain why the variety stayed visible. It was not just another named native plum, but a durable reference point in prairie plum culture. [S2] [S4] [S5]

Summary source basis

• S1: A Study of Northwestern Apples
• S2: Plums in South Dakota
• S3: Some New Fruits
• S4: Plant Introductions
• S5: Fruit Culture

This summary currently draws chiefly from Plums in South Dakota, with 2 additional supporting sources linked below.

Featured source descriptions

“Found wild on the Mississippi river at DeSoto, southwestern Wisconsin.”
— ^[1]

“Its value is tied to extreme productiveness and ability to endure drouth and cold.”
— ^[1]

“Ranked highly in value and productiveness, comparable to named sorts discussed with Soto, Forest Garden, Wolf, and wild seedlings.”
— ^[1]

“This has probably been planted as extensively as any of our native plums and still retains its place on the recommended fruit list after forty years trial.”
— ^[1]

Direct parent cultivars

• No direct linked parent cultivars promoted yet.

Parentage claim text

• Named as one parent in the recorded pedigree of Wakapa.

Derived or downstream cultivar links

• No derived or downstream lineage links yet.

Source-story quotations

• The DeSoto, on its own roots, Iconsider the best all around plum for South Dakota on account of its extreme productiveness and its ability to endure drouth and cold.Plums in South Dakota, p17
• The DeSoto, on its own roots, Iconsider the best all around plum for South Dakota on account of its extreme productiveness and its ability to endure drouth and cold.Plums in South Dakota, p17
• The DeSoto, on its own roots, Iconsider the best all around plum for South Dakota on account of its extreme productiveness and its ability to endure drouth and cold.Plums in South Dakota, p17
• The DeSoto, on its own roots, Iconsider the best all around plum for South Dakota on account of its extreme productiveness and its ability to endure drouth and cold.Plums in South Dakota, p17

Taxonomy context: No family-tree context surfaced yet.

Related cultivars mentioned in source context