2

Is bullace a hybrid of (probably) damson and sloe, which implies that it could be regenerated, or a distinct variety which came about by a one-time mutation?

I hail from the Welsh Marches and remember my mother mentioning it, but never actually encountered any until living in East Sussex which is similarly damson/sloe country on clay. I find that it's vastly better than sloe for gin: it needs minimal filtration to get something coloured but unmurky, but still has an interesting rustic flavour.

The problem is that there aren't that many, and so far all my attempts at growing from cuttings or stones have been unsuccessful: if they're a hybrid the fruit might be infertile.

Mark Morgan Lloyd
  • 328
  • 1
  • 6

1 Answers1

2

Wikipedia states that the bullace "like the damson is considered to be a strain of the insititia subspecies of Prunus domestica." This would indicate that the stones are not sterile and that they will come true if sprouted.

We have wild plums where I live in the US that are very difficult to propagate from stones. Both species will, however, sprout new trees from their roots, thus forming a copse, although the Canadian species only does that if the roots are damaged. Removing these sprouts (with their roots, of course) is the easiest way to propagate the trees, although getting fruit from a rooted sprout can take 5-7 years.

Wikipedia says that some bullaces may still be found in hedgerows in eastern England; perhaps those trees also throw sprouts from their roots, which you can remove for your own property.

Jurp
  • 20,993
  • 1
  • 19
  • 40