Is Green Gage plum self-fertile or self-sterile?

Green Gage (Reine Claude Verte) European Plum is a self sterile cultivar. It is self-sterile and requires 1 compatible pollination partner flowering within Bloom Groups 3–5 to achieve a reliable commercial fruit set.

Can Green Gage act as a pollen donor for other plums?

Yes. Green Gage (Reine Claude Verte) European Plum produces viable, fertile pollen that readily cross-pollinates other compatible plum varieties flowering across its bloom window.

Which bloom group does Green Gage plum belong to?

Green Gage (Reine Claude Verte) European Plum flowers in Bloom Group 4 (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 Green Gage belong to?

Green Gage (Reine Claude Verte) 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 4

Green Gage (Reine Claude Verte) European Plum
Pollination & Compatibility Guide

Green Gage pollination: Pool A partner requirement, corrected Group 4 bloom and the Cambridge Gage incompatibility.

Pomological Verdict & Botanical Profile

Green Gage Needs a Compatible Pool A Partner

Same-Pool Pollen Required

Old Green Gage (Reine Claude Verte). Partners: Victoria, Denniston's Superb, Oullins Gage. In Group B with Cambridge Gage — a closely related clone group, mutually infertile. Green Gage (Reine Claude) needs at least one compatible pollinizer from bloom group 3–5 to set a reliable crop.

Pollination Pool / Ploidy: Pool A · Hexaploid (functional diploid)
Required Companions: 1 Compatible Partner
Bloom Group: Group 4 (Mid-Spring)
Harvest Timing: Mid Season

Primary Uses:Fresh EatingJamCooking

Disease Resistance: Susceptible to brown rot

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 Green Gage

Early Overlap

Group 3

Green Gage

Group 4

Late Overlap

Group 5

For Green Gage, select a compatible plum in the same pollination pool flowering from Group 3 to 5; 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
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
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
French Prune (Agen)Guide	Group 3	Full Overlap	Late	Drying (Prune), Cooking	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

Incompatible Varieties & Exclusions (4)

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

Cambridge GageGuide

Group B — a closely related clone group, mutually infertile (plums.md).

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.

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: Green Gage Partner Choice

Old Green Gage, also called Reine Claude Verte, is a cross-required Pool A cultivar in Group 4. It needs a same-pool donor with real bloom overlap, such as Victoria or another verified European plum. Cambridge Gage looks attractive on a flowering chart but is a poor sole choice: the two sit in a documented mutually infertile clone group. Japanese plums do not cross the Pool A boundary.

A gage's value lies in eating quality, so a planting should be judged by marketable fruit rather than blossom count. Set can be modest, and the small fruit is sensitive to shade, wet harvest weather and handling. Record whether the donor actually opened flowers during the same days, then inspect fruitlet set before blaming a sparse crop on genetics. Thin only where clusters threaten size or airflow.

Warm, sheltered ground helps sugars develop, but avoid a sheltered hollow that holds frost. A Torinel or St Julien A bush gives working room for a small picking crew and avoids Pixy's known fruit-size penalty on gages. Keep the canopy open and arrange quick picking after rain threatens splitting or brown rot. Confirm nursery naming, since old gage synonyms can conceal a duplicate tree.