Cultivar 165: Assiniboine

Assiniboine is a plum selected from Prunus nigra, the Canada plum or wild plum. Sources describe it as a South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station introduction, named in 1908 from a wild plum seedling from Stonewall, Manitoba. [S2] [S3] [S4] It is an early named selection from native plum material, not a later complex hybrid. It remained listed in prairie orchard references and recommendation lists for cross pollination among native plums. [S1] [S3] [S4]

The origin story is specific. University of Minnesota material says the seedling came from Stonewall, Manitoba, and was named at the South Dakota station in 1908. [S2] A prairie cultivar index gives the same year and identifies it as a P. nigra seedling introduced by the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station. [S3] W. R. Leslie's prairie orchard bulletin gives a more personal account and says the wild plum seed came from Thomas Frankland of Stonewall, Manitoba. [S4]

Sources describe the fruit as medium to fairly large and oval to oblong, with yellow flesh and red skin. Some describe it more specifically as yellow with a bright red blush and light bloom. [S2] [S4] [S3] The flesh is described as soft or tender, very juicy, and moderately sweet, with good overall quality. [S2] Leslie called it good for canning, while the prairie index classified it mainly as a processing plum. [S3] [S4] The season is early, but the exact timing differs by source. One says mid August. Another says the first of September. [S2] [S4]

The tree is described as upright, vigorous, productive, and hardy. [S2] [S4] Minnesota notes add that it holds its fruit well and had only very light winter injury in test winters. That helps explain why it was considered a good parent for breeding winter hardiness. [S2] South Dakota extension later kept Assiniboine in its native plum recommendations for cross pollination, which shows it still had practical value in cold climate home orchards after its introduction. [S1]

Assiniboine is significant because it shows direct use of native prairie plum germplasm in early northern fruit breeding. The sources do not present it as a hybrid line or as a descendant of named cultivars. They describe it as a selected wild plum seedling that proved hardy, productive, and useful for processing under prairie conditions. [S2] [S3] [S4]

Summary source basis

• S1: South Dakota Fruit Garden
• S2: 9c684c14 7509 4b78 a803 0bf01a64aa28
• S3: An index of fruit cultivars tested or developed on the Canadian prairies.
• S4: TreeFruitsGrownInPrairieOrchards WRLeslie 1946 HQ

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

Featured source descriptions

“Fruit oblong with round apex, small cavity, line-like suture, and a 1/2 inch slender stem; stone flat, oval, cling.”
— ^[4]

“Fruit diameter 3.0-3.5; maturity early.”
— ^[5]

“Agood parent in breeding for winter hardiness; showed very light winter injury in test winters.”
— ^[4]

“Fruit soft, very juicy, and moderately sweet; quality rated good.”
— ^[4]

Direct parent cultivars

• No direct linked parent cultivars promoted yet.

Parentage claim text

• No direct breeding_cross claim text yet.

Derived or downstream cultivar links

• No derived or downstream lineage links yet.

Source-story quotations

• Assiniboine 7 Early P. nigraPollination Studies with Stone Fruits, p4
• Assiniboine 7 Early P. nigraPollination Studies with Stone Fruits, p4
• NATIVE PLUMS | For Cross Pollination | other | AssiniboineSouth Dakota Fruit Garden (visual sample pages 9-11), p1
• NATIVE PLUMS | For Cross Pollination | other | AssiniboineSouth Dakota Fruit Garden (visual sample pages 9-11), p1

Taxonomy context: No family-tree context surfaced yet.

Related cultivars mentioned in source context