Two springs ago I had a second year Apricot tree die shortly after leafing out in the spring. A month later from the base of the trunk several shoots popped up that bore red leaves - they looked like the red leaf ornamental plums. I let one grow thinking that it might be a nice ornamental tree near my house, or that I could graft to it later (if I ever get the skill down pat). Last year the tree grew nicely and it had white plum-like flowers, and this year as a larger tree there were more flowers and now there are many small fuzzy fruit that look like small peaches.
Is this typical for an ornamental plum or for some type of plum-like tree used as root stock, and is the fruit edible or have any quality?
Definately not a plum. It’s a peach or a peach hybrid. E.g Rubira is a red leafed peach often used as a rootstock. I have an apricot Harlayne on Rubira. Don’t know if this rootstock is often used in your area.
Citation is not used as a rootstock here but isn’t it a red leafed Hybrid?
I agree with fruitnut and carot. That’s got to be Citation. I cut and rooted suckers from one of my trees and I know the rootstock was Citation. It looks exactly the same as the pictures you posted - although I don’t have peaches on it. You should try grafting with it.
I will have to see if I can find records - they may have been stored on a computer that I no longer have. I am pretty sure it came from Cummins Nursery but do not remember the variety. Looking at their site now, their current offerings are on Marianna or Krymsk rootstocks
I have exact same rootstock for one of my peach, and the tree is from Stakbros. Also I have the fruit on it this year same as yours. Good to know it’s citation and will graft it some plums.
I’ve not heard of Stark Bros using Citation. They do have their own redleaf peach, which I have a Robaba apricot on. So far, it appears more robust for apricots. My apricots on citation did very well their first growing season, but didn’t survive the first winter.
Good to know. I’ve been using suckers from Citation for grafting or I thought they were. The suckers are not red leaf so now I don’t know what they are.
An interspecific (plum-peach) rootstock tree which is medium size, semi-vigorous, upright, medium dense, and well anchored by a semi-fibrous root system; foliated with medium size, elliptic leaves having a serrulate margin, medium length petiole, and medium size, globose, usually alternate glands positioned on base of blade and adjacent portion of the petiole; and flowers from medium size, plump buds; the flowers being large, showy, and pink but staminate, usually lacking or with incomplete pistils resulting in the tree being unfruitful.
This is different from the photo and description by the topic starter (leaf margin serrulate vs. smooth; flowers large, showy, and pink vs. white; unfruitful vs fruitful). Also, it’s unlikely that Cummins would use Citation. So it’s more likely a red-leafed peach seedling.
I just took some pictures of what is available. None of the Stark bros redleaf rootstocks have shoots at this time. In general, it looks like the leaves of citation start off looking more like red peach (citation on left), but develop larger serrations as it matures (citation on right). BTW, this citation came as rootstock on an official DWN tree with all the identification tags.
