Is French Prune plum self-fertile or self-sterile?

French Prune (d'Agen) European Plum is a self-fertile cultivar. It sets a crop with its own pollen and does not strictly require companion pollinizers, though interplanting with overlapping bloom cultivars can enhance fruit set and yield stability.

Can French Prune act as a pollen donor for other plums?

Yes. French Prune (d'Agen) European Plum produces viable, fertile pollen that readily cross-pollinates other compatible plum varieties flowering across its bloom window.

Which bloom group does French Prune plum belong to?

French Prune (d'Agen) European Plum flowers in Bloom Group 3 (Mid-Spring). It reliably cross-pollinates with compatible cultivars in its own group or immediately adjacent groups (±1 bloom group).

Which plum pollination pool does French Prune belong to?

French Prune (d'Agen) European Plum belongs to Pool A (European plum, gage and damson). A compatible pollen partner must flower in the same or an adjacent bloom group and belong to the same pool. European and Japanese plum pools do not cross-pollinate.

Curated Pomology Guide · Bloom Group 3

French Prune (d'Agen) European Plum
Pollination & Compatibility Guide

French Prune d'Agen pollination guide: self-fertile Pool A bloom, drying-block design and cultivar identity cautions.

Pomological Verdict & Botanical Profile

French Prune is Self-Fertile (Pool A)

Sets Alone · Same-Pool Partners Only

'Improved French' (a d'Agen selection) is an absolute sport/synonym exclusion of this cultivar.

Pollination Pool / Ploidy: Pool A · Hexaploid (functional diploid)
Required Companions: 0 (Self-Fertile)
Bloom Group: Group 3 (Mid-Spring)
Harvest Timing: Late Season

Primary Uses:Drying (Prune)Cooking

General Notes: Excellent for prunes

Flowering Period & Overlap Window

Plum bloom groups run from 1 to 5. A useful partner flowers in the same or adjacent group and belongs to the same pollination pool. European plums, gages and damsons are Pool A; Japanese plums and prairie hybrids are Pool B. A tree from one pool cannot pollinate the other.

Flowering Overlap Range for French Prune

Early Overlap

Group 2

French Prune

Group 3

Late Overlap

Group 4

For French Prune, select a compatible plum in the same pollination pool flowering from Group 2 to 4; bloom overlap alone does not bridge Pool A and Pool B.

Compatible Pollination Partners (9)

Test in Checker

Cultivar	Bloom Group	Overlap Type	Harvest	Primary Uses	Interactive Test
Victoria (European)Guide	Group 3	Full Overlap	Mid-Late	Fresh Eating, Canning, Jam	Test Cross
Blue DamsonGuide	Group 3	Full Overlap	Mid-Late	Cooking, Preserves	Test Cross
Italian Prune (Fellenberg)Guide	Group 3	Full Overlap	Late	Prune, Drying, Canning	Test Cross
Opal (European)Guide	Group 3	Full Overlap	Early	Fresh Eating	Test Cross
Stanley (European)Guide	Group 3	Full Overlap	Mid-Late	Prune, Fresh Eating, Canning	Test Cross
Cambridge GageGuide	Group 4	Full Overlap	Mid	Fresh Eating	Test Cross
President (European)Guide	Group 4	Full Overlap	Late	Fresh Eating, Storage	Test Cross
Damson (Shropshire)Guide	Group 4	Full Overlap	Late	Cooking, Jam, Jelly	Test Cross
Mirabelle de Nancy (European)Guide	Group 4	Full Overlap	Mid	Fresh Eating, Brandy (Eau de Vie)	Test Cross

Incompatible Varieties & Exclusions (5)

These cultivars cannot serve as pollinizers for French Prune because of a different plum pollination pool, a documented incompatibility or another exclusion in the source data.

Green Gage (Reine Claude)Guide

plum incompatibility groups are only partly mapped, so only cultivars documented as reliable donors are offered. Green Gage (Reine Claude) is not one of them — that is a gap in the data, not evidence it is incompatible.

Imperial Epineuse (Prune)

plum incompatibility groups are only partly mapped, so only cultivars documented as reliable donors are offered. Imperial Epineuse (Prune) is not one of them — that is a gap in the data, not evidence it is incompatible.

Jefferson (European)Guide

plum incompatibility groups are only partly mapped, so only cultivars documented as reliable donors are offered. Jefferson (European) is not one of them — that is a gap in the data, not evidence it is incompatible.

Moyer Supreme (Prune)

plum incompatibility groups are only partly mapped, so only cultivars documented as reliable donors are offered. Moyer Supreme (Prune) is not one of them — that is a gap in the data, not evidence it is incompatible.

Yellow Egg Plum (European)

plum incompatibility groups are only partly mapped, so only cultivars documented as reliable donors are offered. Yellow Egg Plum (European) is not one of them — that is a gap in the data, not evidence it is incompatible.

Grower Commentary: French Prune Identity and Load

French Prune, the d'Agen type, is a self-fertile Pool A plum flowering in Group 3. It can set fruit in a single-cultivar block; a different European plum with overlapping blossom can still widen pollen supply. Do not count an Improved French selection as an independent partner without checking identity, because sports and renamed selections of the same cultivar do not provide a genuine cross.

Its drying role shifts attention to harvested fruit quality and the flow from row to processing. A tree carrying too many small prunes can reduce useful output even if the raw fruit count looks high. Check set after natural drop, thin overloaded scaffold sections and allow enough light for even maturation. Keep harvest equipment or picking crews in mind when selecting row width and tree form.

A free-standing bush on a moderately vigorous stock is straightforward for hand work, while a mechanical-harvest block needs a clear trunk and enough space for catch equipment. Nursery confirmation is especially important with prune scions on Marianna-family stocks, where compatibility is not universal. Use certified virus-tested trees and avoid a site where spring frost repeatedly settles over the Group 3 bloom window.