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Aprikyra® inter-specific trees

Prunus armeniaca x pumila var. besseyi
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  • Self-fertility: Self-fertile

Aprikyra is an example of an aprichery or cherrycot - a cross between an apricot and a type of cherry known as a sand cherry. The fruit looks like a small apricot, but with the dark black/red skin of a cherry. The flavour is also a bit of a melange of the two species, arguably more apricot than cherry.

In good conditions it should start fruiting within 2 years of planting. The fruits ripen over a long period, starting at the end of July.

Aprikyra can be eaten fresh from the tree, but like all apricots is useful in the kitchen too - and the stone comes away cleanly from the dark red flesh.

Aprikyra inter-specific trees for sale

Pot-grown

All our pot-grown trees are grown for us to our specification by the Frank P Matthews nursery.

All pot-grown trees are suitable for planting out in the garden, some are suitable for growing in containers.

  • PG12-year bush-trained 12L pot-grown tree St. Julien rootstock£63.50
    Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
    Out of stock
    Please try next season

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Call us on 01759 392007 or fill in our contact form.

Tree specification

Photos of trees as supplied | Tree sizes and forms

Delivery charges

Delivery for a single tree starts at £9.95, it is calculated based on your postcode.

Growing and Training

Aprikyra flowers very early in the spring, reflecting its apricot ancestry. It is also reliably self-fertile and the blossom has some frost-resistance. It will also cross-pollinate with most late-flowering apricots.

Aprikyra has some resistance to brown rot (Monilinia fructicola) a common fungal disease of stone fruits which affects the blossom and then the developing fruits.

From a gardening point of view Aprikira is probably best treated as an apricot. That means plant it in a warm sheltered spot, in full sun, and keep pruning to an absolute minimum.

History

Hybridisation between stone fruits such as plums, cherries, and apricots is widespread in nature. Apricots are a particular focus in the development of new inter-specific fruit varieties because they naturally produce larger fruits than cherries or plums, yet will easily cross-pollinate with them. In the case of Aprikyra the other partner is a sand cherry (Prunus pumila) which is native to the western areas of the USA and Canada.

Aprikyra is also known as Aprikira.


Aprikyra characteristics

Growing

  • Gardening skillAverage
  • Self-fertilitySelf-fertile
  • Flowering group4
  • Pollinating othersAverage
  • Climate suitabilityTemperate climates

Using

  • CroppingGood
  • Keeping (of fruit)1-3 days
  • Food usesEating freshCulinary

Problems

  • Disease resistanceAverage

Identification

  • Period of origin1950 - 1999
  • Blossom colourWhite
  • Fruit colourRed - dark
  • Flesh colourDark red

Similar varieties

  • See also Aprisali
    Aprisali
    A sweet self-fertile apricot - plum cross, also known as an Aprium.

British-grown trees Trees grown in the UK.

Unlike many garden centres and online retailers, the vast majority of our fruit trees are grown in the UK. Find out more.

In addition, all our trees are certified under the Plant Healthy scheme, supervised by the Plant Health Alliance. Other stakeholders include Defra and the RHS. The scheme aims to improve UK biosecurity by setting standards for all growers and retailers involved in selling plants in the UK. Find out more

Guaranteed fruit trees

When you buy your fruit tree from Orange Pippin Fruit Trees we guarantee it for the first season in your garden whilst it gets established. If it doesn't grow successfully, we'll either replace it the following season or offer a refund - subject to some conditions. Find out more.

More about inter-specific trees

New fruit varieties are usually developed by crossing varieties of the same species. However new varieties can also arise from inter-breeding between varieties of different (but related) species. These are known as hybrid or inter-specific varieties.

Hybridisation is particularly common in stone fruits such as plums, cherries, and apricots. Indeed the common plum (Prunus domestica) is thought to be natural hybrid between a sloe (Prunus spinosa) and a cherry-plum (Prunus cerasifera). Although these days most hybrids are developed in university-led research programmes, they are not genetically modified (GMOs) - the process is still based on taking pollen from one variety and pollinating another in the hope of producing a new variety with the desired mix of characteristics.

Apricots are a particular focus in the development of new inter-specific fruit varieties because they naturally produce larger fruits than cherries or plums, and will easily cross-pollinate with them.


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