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Only two plum species, the hexaploid European plum (Prunus domestica) and the diploid Japanese plum (Prunus salicina and hybrids), are of worldwide commercial significance. The origin of P. domestica is uncertain but may have involved P. cerasifera and possibly P. spinosa as ancestors.
Oct 9, 2024 · The common European plum (P. domestica) probably originated in the region around the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea and is at least 2,000 years old. Another Old World plum species, probably of European or Asiatic origin, is the Damson plum (P. insititia); ancient writings connect early cultivation of those plums with the region around Damascus.
Apr 25, 2023 · Plums were discovered in the Neolithic sites in Central Europe, including the Czech Republic and Hungary, as well as in the Near East in present day Iraq and Iran. These sites were known to have been used for agricultural purposes, and they were likely the first people to cultivate plums.
A little bit of history. It isn’t quite certain where the plum tree, as grown today, comes from. It seems to be a hybrid bred from several European and Asian species thousands of years ago. Cultivation of plum seems ancient. Archaeologists have found fruit stones related to Mirabelles in digging sites that date back to the Bronze Age.
ORIGIN / HISTORY. The plum belongs to the botanical family Rosaceae, subgenus Prunoideae, together with other stone fruit like peaches, cherries, and apricots. Most plums are divided into two major groups: Japanese plums (diploid) and European plums (hexaploid) which adapt to colder climates.
Apr 25, 2023 · When did the cultivation of the plum begin? The cultivation of the plum (Prunus domestica) is believed to have begun more than 4,000 years ago. The earliest evidence of its cultivation comes from ancient China, where plums were first mentioned in written records around 2,000 BC.
The fruit Prunus armeniaca (apricot) gained its name from the beliefs of Pliny the Elder, a Roman historian and scientist of the first century, who maintained that the apricot was a kind of a plum, and had originally come from Armenia (Petrosian and Underwood).
