35. Bradley’s King - Damson
Season : Flowers late April, fruit October
Pollination : Self Fertile. Group D
Prunus insititia 'Bradley's King Damson'
Also known as The King of Damsons
It is less astringent and slightly milder than other damsons.
Fruit is large for a damson. Purple skin with a blue bloom. Greenish yellow, dry flesh. Quite sweet with less of the bitter flavour characterising damsons.
Unusually amongst damsons, this is a freestone fruit - the stone falls away cleanly from the flesh.
Vigorous upright tree.
Brought to market by a Mr Bradley in Nottinghamshire in the 1880’s. No record of the parents of this variety has survived.
Damson plums were once known as Damusk plums, from the ancient word for Damascus, in Syria. damsons were brought to England by the Romans some 2,000 years ago, both for eating and as an ingredient in their prized purple dye.