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

Italian Prune (Fellenberg) 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 Italian Prune act as a pollen donor for other plums?

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

Which bloom group does Italian Prune plum belong to?

Italian Prune (Fellenberg) 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 Italian Prune belong to?

Italian Prune (Fellenberg) 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

Italian Prune (Fellenberg) European Plum
Pollination & Compatibility Guide

Italian Prune Fellenberg pollination guide: self-fertile Pool A bloom, drying use and rootstock decisions.

Pomological Verdict & Botanical Profile

Italian Prune is Self-Fertile (Pool A)

Sets Alone · Same-Pool Partners Only

Italian Prune (Fellenberg) will set a crop planted on its own. A nearby partner can still lift fruit set.

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:PruneDryingCanning

Disease Resistance: Good disease resistance

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 Italian Prune

Early Overlap

Group 2

Italian Prune

Group 3

Late Overlap

Group 4

For Italian 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
French Prune (Agen)Guide	Group 3	Full Overlap	Late	Drying (Prune), Cooking	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 Italian 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: Fellenberg for Drying and Fresh Use

Italian Prune, also called Fellenberg, is a self-fertile European plum in Pool A. Its Group 3 flowers can set fruit without a separate pollinizer, but a nearby European plum in the same or adjacent group adds resilience when spring bee flight is short. Do not use a Japanese plum as the sole companion: Pool B pollen does not bridge the species boundary.

The prune type is commonly selected for drying, while sound fruit can also be picked for fresh or kitchen use. That flexibility depends on a crop that ripens evenly enough to schedule picking and processing labour. Check load after natural drop and thin congested spurs where fruit would remain undersized or pull branches down. Heavy set on a self-fertile tree is a management decision, not proof that the block needs more hives.

Use a rootstock and training system that leave room for the eventual harvest method. A St Julien A or Wavit bush suits hand work; a vigorous, free-standing tree needs more row width and ladder or machinery access. Ask the nursery to verify prune scion compatibility on Marianna-family stock rather than assuming every plum graft behaves alike. Keep the planting out of frost pockets and use certified virus-tested trees.