This plum is well and favorably known in England, but it is scarcely
grown in America, though it has much in the character of its fruit at
least to recommend it. The plums are attractive in appearance and while
not of the highest flavor are yet far above the average in the qualities
which make a good dessert fruit, while for culinary purposes it ranks
among the best. The trees are productive, hardy and fairly vigorous and
may be especially noted as holding their crop well. Autumn Compote is a
seedling of Cooper, raised by Thomas Rivers, Sawbridgeworth, England,
about 1840.
Tree of medium size and vigor, spreading, rather low and
open-topped, hardy, very productive; branches smooth, dark
brownish-gray, with lenticels intermediate in number and size;
branchlets few, slender, very short, with long internodes,
greenish-red changing to dark brownish-red, dull, sparingly
pubescent early in the season, becoming heavily pubescent
later, with few, inconspicuous, small lenticels; leaf-buds
long, pointed, free.
Leaves drooping, folded backward, long-oval or obovate, two and
one-eighth inches wide, four and one-fourth inches long, thick;
upper surface dark green, smooth, hairy, with deeply grooved
midrib; lower surface pale green, pubescent; apex acute, base
tapering, margin crenate, eglandular; petiole thick, one-half
inch long, tinged red, glandless or with from one to four
globose, greenish-yellow, large glands usually on the stalk.
Season of bloom medium, short; flowers appearing after
the leaves, one and one-quarter inches across, in the
buds creamy-yellow changing to white as the flowers open;
borne in clusters on short lateral spurs, singly or in
pairs; pedicels nearly one-half inch long, glabrous, green;
calyx-tube greenish, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes
broad, obtuse, glandular-serrate, sparingly pubescent on both
surfaces, reflexed; petals oval, narrowly dentate, with very
short and broad claws; anthers yellowish; filaments nearly
seven-sixteenths inch long; pistil glabrous, longer than the
stamens.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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